


Solitude

by The_Doktor_Medic



Category: Team Fortress 2
Genre: Implied Sexual Content, M/M, No Porn
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-03-07
Updated: 2019-07-14
Packaged: 2019-11-13 12:17:35
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 50
Words: 141,897
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18031595
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/The_Doktor_Medic/pseuds/The_Doktor_Medic
Summary: A cute, fluff-stuff story about Sniper/Spy.





	1. Chapter 1

"Right, Paris, there we go."

Mundy's train was braking and the sound of the friction from the metallic wheels was deafening. After his contracts as a sniper and hunter ended, he felt quite bored of his nonetheless beloved australian Outback. His family had advised him to go tour the world. He had started going through Asia and had been in Europe for quite some time now. He had seen a good part of Eastern and Central Europe and now was the time to visit France.

_"Veuillez attendre l'arrêt complet du train. Quand vous descendez, faites attention à la bordure du quai."_

_[Please wait until the train is completely stopped before coming off. When you step off, watch your step for the platform.]_

The whistling of the brakes finally ended. Mundy took his suitcase and got off. He looked around him.

"Oh bugger..."

The train station was a chaotic anthill. People were pouring out of trains and pouring in others, rushing in and out of the station. Mundy held his hat on his head and followed the wave of people out of the station. Before he exited the station, he found a desk where he asked some directions to the room he had booked. His French was very limited but in spite of it, he nonetheless managed to be understood. He scribbled some notes to remember them and started walking. The room he had rented was within walking distance from the station. It was not a hotel room but a rental that would be a bit less costly. He had intended to stay in Paris quite a bit of time, to see if living in such a big city could bring the change of scenery he was looking for.

The sky was blue with only a couple clouds. It was the beginning of May and the grey tones of winter were now only a vague souvenir for the Parisians. Mundy looked around him. People were dressed very differently from each other. But as he walked through a rather wealthy neighbourhood, the diversity in clothing dramatically plummeted to leave only men in suits and ladies in fashionable dresses and matching hats. The architecture of the buildings around him was very different from what he had seen so far. The buildings were not very tall yet had a very distinctive presence. The light beige color of the bricks shined particularly brighly with the nice weather. They looked very geometrical, almost as if the only tools used to design them were a ruler and a set square. The windows were rectagular and longer than wide. They reflected the sun in Mundy's eyes as he walked past them. Naturally, he was wearing his aviator glasses so he was not bothered at all.

He cut through and arrived to a less wealthy neighbourhood. His room was nonetheless in a modern, good looking building which in fact sat at the frontier with the wealthy part of town. The building must have been quite new as the white paint on the walls and front fence were still shining as if brand new.

His room was on the third floor. He was sharing the kitchen with a couple of French people around his age. They were the ones advertising for the room. When Mundy opened the door, none of them were in which was expected as they were both working. They also said that Mundy would find a letter on the living-room's table. He first proceeded to visit the flat quickly to find his room and put his suitcase down. He went back to the kitchen to read the letter. It was written in near perfect English and contained warm welcoming words as well as some information about the flat and the neighbourhood. Mundy read it carefully and put it in his bedroom.

He started unpacking his suitcase and filling his wardrobe. Well, _filling_ is far from an exact term, he rather put a couple of shirts and trousers, some underwear and socks as well. He liked to travel lightly. He looked around him. The desk had only a couple of pens and a notepad on it. The nightstand next to the bed only had a lamp on it. Mundy took the framed picture that was in the suitcase and put it there. It showed his parents back in Australia. He smiled and took a deep breath.

_I'm getting hungry... Let's go out and see what food I can get in this neighbourhood. And after that, let's hunt for a job._

Mundy left and started walking in the streets again, looking for something to eat. He could not help thinking about what his family had said while discussing his trip. " _You should try to see your colleagues from your days in Mann Co., no doubt they'll be happy to see you._ " And he did! In Moscow he stopped to see Mikhail, the Heavy weapons guy specialist, now boxing trainer for kids. In Berlin he saw Ludwig, still a doctor but in a research centre. He intended to go and see Tavish, the Demo in Scotland and moving to the US, he was sure to find Dell in Texas, Jeremy in Boston and Jane in a military training camp near Washington.

For now, he was in Paris. He could meet Lucien, the Spy. The only issue is that he was the only one not leaving an address before leaving Mann Co. So God only knew where he was living and if he was in France or not somewhere else, spying and backstabbing...

_Well, it's fine. I guess in this buzzin' city, I will never manage to meet him again. If I started lookin' for him, it'd be like lookin' for a needle in a haystack... A masked needle in a haystack_ _, disguised as a straw of hay, and backstabbin' other straws of hay... Bah..._

He stopped walking and took a deep breath.

_It smells incredibly good!_

He looked around and saw a bakery at the end of the street.

_Let's get some'in there._

He ordered a sandwich and a coffee with a croissant. He sat at the terrace and had his meal. He was surprised by the quality of the bread. He was used to the British kind of loaf but this baguette sandwich was truly something else, much tastier and more filling. The croissant was amazing as well. Under the golden crust, a sweet cloud of butter melted on Mundy's tongue.

_Well, that's not a stereotype, the French really know how to make delicious food. Even a sandwich is something else with them!_

He stayed there for a while, watching people come and go while sipping his coffee. A man in a dark blue suit passed by and reminded Mundy of Lucien again. He smiled without realising it.

_I guess it'd be very awkward if we met at a café... The secret spook and the silent sniper... Not saying anything to each other... One smoking his cigarette and the other drinking coffee..._

He sighed, still smiling and put his hat back on.

_Now, to find a job..._

He had been very decently paid while he was in Mann Co. but he nonetheless wanted to keep his days busy. As he had been a hunter of wild animals, zoology was his only expertise, along with killing people from far away some would say. He had hoped that he could work for the _Zoo de Vincennes_ but he first needed to see the place.

_Alright, let's have a look at this zoo..._

After asking for directions and taking a bus and a metro, he was finally standing at the zoo gates.

_Right, let's have a look._

The zoo was organised in zones. Each zone was a different kind of climate, or a differerent family of animals. Mundy was most familiar with marsupials, crocodiles and birds of prey. He headed in direction of the birds' zone. The zoo had a large collection of birds among wich parrots, budgies, colorful species of them but also eagles and vultures. A zookeeper, surrounded by a herd of people, happened to be giving a tour and stopped in front of the birds of prey. Mundy blended in the group to listen to the explaination. He was lucky the group of people seemed to be tourists so the zookeeper was speaking English.

"And here are our birds of prey. As you can see, we keep each species separated from the others. On you right, the very classical bald eagles, symbol of the United States of America! This is your emblematic bird of prey, you're American right?"

The small crows nodded heads and followed the guide while taking more pictures of the bald eagles than they could ask for.

"Now we move on to falcons, can anyone recognise this one?"

The herd of American tourists went silent.

"Those are peregrine falcons."

The crowd turned to Mundy.

"Indeed! Now, do you know where they live?"

Mundy took his hat off his head.

"On all continents but especially Australia."

"Yes, indeed! Now, the gentleman here seems to know a lot. Do you know their number one cause of death? Let me help you with a clue: you will never guess it."

Mundy adjusted his glasses and smirked.

"These beaut's can dive and fly at the incredible speed of up to 390 kilometres an hour which make them the fastest diving birds on Earth. They hunt and live in solitude. Their preys are mostly smaller birds or sometimes small mammals. They can easily be trained for hunting purposes. Oh and I forgot to mention, they don't have nests like other species, they like to live in small caves on cliffs, more rarely on high enough trees."

The zookeeper's jaw dropped, as it did for the American tourists.

Mundy smiled and put his hat back on. He turned on his heels and started walking to the next enclosure.

"Wait, sir! Can wa have a chat?"

Mundy froze.

_**\-- Author's notes --** _

Thank you for reading :) Please let me know what you think about this first chapter in the comments!

You can also check my other fic "The Merc's Lives", 50 chapters dealing with all our beloved team of mercenaries! (It's Medic/Heavy, Sniper/Spy mainly but it deals with all the mercs :))

Cheers!


	2. Chapter 2

 

" _Alors, ça y est? C'est officiel?_ "

[So, that's it? It's official now?]

" _Oui, je ne suis plus espion._ "

[Yes, I am no longer a spy.]

" _Lucien, je suis désolée mais c'est trop tard. Je suis partie et je ne reviendrai pas. J'ai attendu des mois et des années, c'en est trop._ _Et tu sais que ça fait des mois maintenant que je suis avec quelqu'un d'autre._ "

[Lucien, I am sorry but it's too late. I have left and I won't come back. I've waited for months and years, it was too much. And you know that I've been seeing someone else for months after I made things clear with you.]

" _S'il te plaît, reviens. Je t'en prie et je t'en supplie, reviens. Plus rien ne peut s'interposer entre nous, je ne peux que passer du temps avec toi."_

[Please, come back. I beg of you, come back. Nothing can get in the way, between us, I can but spend time and take care of you.]

" _Non, Lucien, c'est trop tard. Je suis désolée, quand je t'ai rencontré, je pensais pouvoir passer le restant de mes jours avec toi... Mais il a fallu que tu me caches la vérité, que tu es un espion..."_

[No, Lucien, it's too late now. I am sorry, when I met you, I thought I would spend the rest of my days with you... But you hid the truth from me, the fact you were a spy...]

_"S'il te plaît, donne-moi une nouvelle chance, je ne peux pas vivre sans toi... Et à mon âge..."_

[Please, give me a new chance, I can't live without you... And at my age...]

" _Non, désolée, bonne chance à toi."_

[No, sorry, good luck to you.]

"Beep... Beep... Beep... Beep..."

The beeping sound of the hung up phone on the other end of the line resonated and pulsated in Lucien's head. His throat hurt now. He needed to cry. He hung up the phone, looking at his hand doing the gesture, in slow motion, as if the hanging up was the break up. He got up and put both his hands flat on the desk. He lowered his head. All he could hear was his breath in the empty flat. He listened to himself breathe, feeling the rage and despair grow inside him until...

" _POURQUOI? MERDE!_ "

[WHY? FUCK!]

He put his hand on the desk and swept across it violently. The phone flew and crashed on the wall, papers flew in the room, the lamp was also sent flying.

" _POURQUOI JE DOIS TOUJOURS TOUT FOUTRE EN L'AIR?!"_

[WHY DO I ALWAYS HAVE TO FUCK THINGS UP?!]

He punched the desk violently with his right fist while sobbing heavily. He undid his tie and threw it away. He punched the desk again...

" _Pourquoi?_ "

[Why?]

He punched again, the wood cracked.

" _POURQUOIII?!"_

[WHYYY?!]

This time his fist went through the wood. He retrieved his bloodied fist and shouted in rage while pacing the room like a rabied dog. He looked around him. He wanted to punch, kick, destroy, kill, shred everything to pieces. He went to the bedroom and all he could see was the wardrobe still open and all her clothes gone, leaving half of it empty. Empty, like his heart now.

He looked at his nightstand.

_Si j'ouvre ce tiroir, Dieu sait de quoi je serai capable..._

[If I open that drawer, God knows what I'm capable of doing...]

_Et puis merde!_

[And fuck it!]

He went to the drawer and opened it. It was empty but it contained a secret compartment. He opened it and took his butterfly knife. He went to the bathroom, emptied a bottle of ethanol of his hand and bandaged it quickly and roughly. He went back to the living room, took his tie off the ground, tied it around his neck quickly. He moved to the door, grabbed his vest and a hat off the coat rack and slammed the door behind him.

He walked resolutely.

_Je vais te trouver et te faire la peau._

[I will find you and I will end you.]

He knew who she was now spending her days and nights with. She had left a couple weeks ago but he could not accept it. So he had been living the past weeks in denial. He would sleep on his side of the bed, thinking that when he opened his eyes the next day, she would be lying next to him. He even didn't touch the wardrobe. He didn't throw away any of the pictures and decorations that she had put in their flat.

He knew where to find him, the new man. He started picturing himself torturing him in all sorts of manners. He was trembling with anticipation. He was seeing nothing but him cooling his heart and rage down as he would make that man suffer. Now that he thought about it, he did not even need the knife... No, he did not _want_ the knife. He would do it with his bare hands. Yes, his bare hands...

He clenched his fists in his pockets. And suddenly he felt the pain in his right hand. He stopped walking and opened wide eyes.

_Merde, ça brûle!_

[Shit, it burns!]

The more he realised that he had injured himself quite severely, the more painful his hand was becoming.

_Merde, merde, merde_ _!_

He looked around him. No one was paying attention to him. He took his right hand slightly out of his pocket. The bandage had turned red.

_Merde, je ne peux pas rester dans cet état. Je dois rentrer et soigner ma main..._

[Shit, I can't stay like this, I must go back home and take care of my hand...]

He turned on his heels and started walking back. The pain was making him sweat. He looked around him. It was a beatiful day but he could not enjoy it. He bit his lip to contain the pain and walked faster, hoping to get back home as fast as possib-

"Oi, watch where you're goin' mate! Shoving people like that, I swear...!"

Lucien froze.

_**\-- Author's note --** _

Aand thanks for reading! As always, please do leave a comment so that I know if you like the story, it makes a great difference for me!!

Cheers and stay tuned for chapter 3!


	3. Chapter 3

Lucien froze.

He recognised that voice and that accent. He had heard that Mundy, his former sniper colleague, had started a world tour. But being busy with trying to save his love life, Lucien had not taken any particular interest in knowing where his former colleague was.

"Oh mate, you're injured, you're alright?"

Mundy was pointing at Lucien's right hand. Lucien was so taken aback he couldn't even answer.

"Oh, erm... _Vous comprenez l'anglais?_ " Mundy asked with a thick English accent.

"Yes, yes I do..."

"Mate, you need help with your hand, you look pale and you're sweatin' heavily... You should see a doctor, d'you want me to go with you?"

Lucien's jaw had dropped. _How is he here?_

"I don't know where doctors are here, I'm 'fraid I've just arrived... You know what? Come follow me, I'll do some'in for ya..."

Lucien obeyed and followed Mundy across the streets. It turned out that Mundy's place wasn't far from Lucien. Mundy opened the door to his flat, he threw his hat on the coat rack and his glasses on the small table by the door.

"Take a seat on the sofa. Can you get rid of your vest? Wait, let me help."

Mundy helped Lucien to get off his vest and showed him the sofa.

"Undo your tie and the first few buttons of your shirt, you need to breathe."

Mundy rushed to the kitchen and came back with a glass of water.

"Drink that, I'll be right back."

Lucien drank a bit of water. He undid his tie and opened the first few buttons of his shirt. He looked around him. The big windows of the living room let the sun shine brightly through. Mundy came back with a bottle of disinfectant, bandages, compresses, gloves and a bucket. He put the gloves on.

"Alright, I'll need to undo this awful bandage, it's dripping with blood..."

He did so and threw the old bandage in the bucket.

"What do we have here...? Ah, it seems it's only a flesh wound... The bones seem fine... good... we need to disinfect this properly and get a bit a bit of proper bandage, ok?"

Lucien's stare was blank. _I must be dreaming..._

"So how did you injure yourself like that?"

Lucien was still lost in thought.

"Oi, mate?"

"Yes, yes sorry..."

Mundy put some disinfectant on a compress. and lowered his head to focus on cleaning the wound.

"How did you get this?"

"I... I..."

Lucien could not lie.

"I broke my desk..."

Mundy raised his head.

"You... broke your desk?"

"Yes... I... Ouch!"

"Ah, sorry mate, the wound is deeper here... I'll be more delicate..."

Mundy lowered his head to focus on the wound again, he threw the red compress in the bucket and took a new, clean one. He poured some disinfectant on it and resumed cleaning the wound.

"Thank you."

"No worries... But wait, you said you broke your desk, was that like a work-related accident? Your boss should've taken you to a doctor or some'in!"

"Non, I broke my desk with my fist at home, voluntarily. I needed to break something... I..."

Tears began streaming on his face.

Mundy threw the second compress in the bucket and started using a fresh one. He did not see Lucien's tears until one hit the sofa, under his hand. He raised his head.

"Whatever it is, I'm sorry mate... I'll try my best t'help."

Lucien nodded, a second tear hit the sofa.

"Thank you."

"Take a deep breath."

Lucien obeyed.

"Now, what happened?"

Lucien did not want to say anything, especially to a former colleague. _He might be pretending to not recognise me to put me at ease..._

"You don't want to say...? Fair enough..."

Mundy was done cleaning and started putting some bandage. The burning sensation had faded now and was only faint though moving his fingers hurt a lot. Lucien sniffed and cleared his throat. He took a tissue that was on the coffee table in front of him and wiped his eyes and face. Mundy was done with the bandage.

"Do you mind if I use your bathroom?"

"Nah, go ahead, it in the corridor, at the very end."

"Thank you."

Lucien grabbed his tie and went through the corridor. Meanwhile, Mundy threw the content of the bucket in the bin and diluted some bleach in the bucket. He left the bucket to sit there and threw his gloves in the bin. He came back to the living room and sat on the sofa, waiting for his _"patient"_ to come back from the bathroom. He took a magazine that was on the coffee table and started reading...

... He finished it and still no one came back to the living room. Worried that the man might have fainted, Mundy went to the bathroom and gave a knock at the door.

"Y'alright mate?"

The door was unlocked, he pushed it. _No one_. He came back to the living room and looked at the coat rack.

The jacket had disappeared.

\- _**Author's notes -**_

Thanks for reading! Please let me know in the comments what you think of this new one!

Cheers!


	4. Chapter 4

\- _Paris, a couple days later -_

" _Excellent travail aujourd'hui Mundy!_ "

[Excellent job today Mundy.]

"Ah, _merci. "_

This new job at the zoo was working out perfectly for both Mundy and the zoo. He was in charge of the birds of prey and was training them in order to present a small show for the visitors. He also would guide foreign visitor given his proficiency in English.

" _C_ _omment ça se passe l'entraînement? Ça avance bien?_ "

[How is it going with the training? Is it progressing?]

" _Oui, c'est pas trop mal._..."

[Yeah, it's not too bad...]

He was looking for his words. _Goddamn it, French is hard..._

"Say it in English, I'll help you translate it."

"I wanted to say 'There's still lots to do'..."

"Oh, you'd say ' _Il y a encore beaucoup à faire_."

"Ah, _merci, il y a encore beaucoup à faire_ then!"

" _De rien!"_

[You're welcome.]

Mundy put back his equipment in his locker, took his jacket and his hat, and exited the zoo. It was a couple minutes past 6.00pm. _Ah, I fancy a good quiet night tonight... A good shower, some light dinner, a book maybe and sleep. It's been a long day today._

_\- Couple hours earlier -_

_"MERDE!"_

A vase flew to a wall. A framed picture followed.

Lucien rushed to pick the picture off the floor. It was a picture of her and him. He took his lighter and set fire to it, looking at it while the flames slowly devoured it.

_FOR GOD'S SAKE! I spent my day in this flat, going round and round, tearing my hair of my very head. I can't stand myself anymore..._

He looked around him, put his back against the wall and sank down. He was now sitting on the ground. He sighed.

_At least I got rid of every last piece of her now..._

His right hand reached for his inner pocket to grab a cigarette. He realised the bandage prevented him from actually grabbing anything. He looked at his right hand.

_I could stay in this flat and destroy everything including myself or... I could go and pay my debt. Former colleague or not, he helped me. I owe him._

He got a cigarette out with his left hand, lit it and started smoking.

_Last_ _time, I fled like a thief..._

He looked at his cigarette and the smoke dancing out of it.

_Back in those days, he'd never speak to anyone... Living in the purest form of solitude that can be, and in a van with that!_

He smiled, without realising it.

_We barely exchanged any words, unless we needed to, and that would be on the battlefield..._

He puffed some smoke out again.

_I don't think he ever saw me without my mask... So chances are, he didn't recognise me..._

He slapped his thigh and got up.

_Right, let's go or I could be dangerous to myself._

He put on his vest and and a hat, and exited. He was living only about 20min away from Mundy's place. He started walking but all of a sudden he stopped.

_Gosh, I need to offer him something..._ _Let me think... Oh, I know!_

He made a detour to his favourite bakery. He knew the baker very well.

" _Bonsoir Madeleine!_ "

[Good evening Madeleine.]

"Ah! _Bonsoir Lucien, que puis-je faire pour vous?_ "

[Good evening Lucien, what can I do for you?]

" _Je ne sais pas trop quoi choisir, peut-être pouvez-vous m'aider, Madeleine?_ "

[I don't really know what to choose. Maybe you can help me, Madeleine?]

" _Bien sûr, dites-moi tout!"_

[Of course, tell me everything.]

" _Je rends visite à un ami, il m'a rendu un grand service et j'aimerais lui offrir une de vos pâtisseries dont vous avez le secret."_

[I am visiting a friend, he helped me and I would like to repay the favour with one of your delicious pastries.]

"Ah, _voyons voir... Vous savez ce qu'il préfère votre ami?"_

[Let me see... You know what he would prefer?]

_"Euh... Non, j'en ai bien peur..."_

[Erm... No, I'm afraid not.]

" _Dans ce cas, je vous propose un assortiment, une tartelette aux fruits, un mini éclair au chocolat, un trio de chouquettes fourrées à la crème, ça vous va?""_

[In that case, I suggest you take an assortment, a small fruit tart, a mini éclair with chocolate and three chouquette stuffed with cream, how does that sound?]

" _Parfait! Merci beaucoup! Puis-je vous demander de les mettre dans un joli paquet?"_

[Perfect! Many thanks! Can I ask you to put them in a nice box?]

_"C'était prévu, ne vous inquiétez pas!"_

[Don't worry, I was going to!]

Lucien nodded in thanks and paid the baker. He took the box, which was nicely closed with a blue satin ribbon and moved in the streets.

He soon arrived in front of the door. He adjusted his tie and cleared his throat. He knocked.

" _Yeah! Comin'_

Lucien heard incoming footsteps.

"Did you forget your key-oh... erm.. Hello?"

Mundy was surprised.

"Hello. I wanted to thank you for what you did to me. May I?"

Mundy was completely taken aback but on the spurr of the moment he said:

"Yeah, yeah, sure."

Lucien entered. Mundy led him to the sofa again. They both sat down.

"Sorry about last time, my deepest apologies."

"Oh, it's fine, I mean uhm... How is your hand? Any better?"

Lucien showed him the bandage.

"Still not fully functionning but much better thanks to you."

Mundy smiled.

"I reckon it's gonna take a few weeks for it to get back to normal but some scars might not go away..."

Lucien smiled as well.

"Bah, it's fine. A lesson engraved in the flesh."

Mundy was looking at the box on Lucien's lap.

"Oh, yes, erm, here is a little something to show my gratitude."

"Oh, whot's that then?"

"Please, open it!"

Lucien passed the box to Mundy's hands. _He still has his watch and he even has a tan line where it usually sits._

"By the way, my name is..."

Lucien thought fast. _I need to invent a name, he might know my real one..._

"... Luc."

Mundy answered while opening the box.

"And I'm Mundy, nice to meet you properly."

They shook hands and bandages.

"Oh, my! Whot's all this? Oh, French pastries! You'll have to tell me their names and whot's inside!"

"I guess you just arrived from Australia?"

Mundy opened wide eyes.

"You do have quite a strong accent and the tan line on you wrist shows that you were used to more sun than what we have here in Paris."

Mundy laughed.

"Oh, yeah, yeah I'm an Aussie bloke. But you're wrong, private eye, I'm on a world tour, last place I've been is Germany."

"Ah, I see."

"So, the cakes?"

"Ah, oui, so..."

Lucien explained what the different pastries were and how nothing could compare to French cuisine especially when it comes to desserts.

Mundy went for the mini éclair au chocolat. He put the box on the coffe table.

"Please, don't let me have a bite alone."

"Ah, many thanks."

Lucien went for the mini fruit tart.

" _Merci bien Luc"_

[Many thanks, Luc.]

"Ah, you are learning French?"

"Yeah, I intend to stay here for a while so I'd better learn the language... Your English is perfect! I mean I can hear your accent but you speak very fluently!"

"Thanks, I did work in America for a couple years."

"Ah, nice, what was you job?"

Lucien's life as a spy made him an excellent liar.

"I was in an import-export business, dealing with wine. But I managed to retire early."

"Woah, sounds fancy!"

They both took a second to chew on their pastries.

"What about you? Are you working here?"

Mundy nodded.

"I found a job in the _Zoo de Vincennes._ I take care of the birds of prey."

"Ah, how interesting..."

_He used to have a pet owl so I guess it makes sense._

"The only main issue I have is the fact I'm not fluent in French... Thank God you guys understand English but I wish I could speak better French..."

Lucien finished his mini tart. He took a tissur from the coffee table and wiped hid mouth elegantly.

"I have an idea Mundy, to repay the favour."

"What favour?"

Lucien waved his bandage.

"Ah, yeah..."

"I could teach you French, if you want."

Mundy opened wide eyes.

"Really?"

"Yes, I think I can do that. I am good enough with grammar and the rules and exceptions... But I guess you want a good conversation level, right?"

"Yeah, yeah..."

Mundy finished his mini éclair.

"I'd like to be able to talk to people in French about daily life topics... Nothing too fancy... And work related stuff as well..."

"I see, I see. I can help you with that."

Lucien thought it could also help him set his mind on something else than his break-up.

"Thanks mate, but how much would you charge me for it?"

Lucien's raised his left hand.

" _Rien du tout._ "

[Nothing at all.]

"Oh, you sure?"

"Well, maybe I could ask you something if it's no bother to you?"

"Go ahead!"

Lucien raised his bandaged hand.

"Maybe you could continue taking care of this? I hate doctors and I don't want to go and see one..."

Mundy smiled and nodded. He put his right hand forward.

"That's a deal then!"

Lucien shook Mundy's hand.

_What the hell have I put myself in...?_

_**\-- Author 's notes --** _

Thank you good readers!

As always, if you liked or didn't like this chapter, please let me know in the comments! :D

Cheers!


	5. Chapter 5

**_\- Important note to the readers -_ **

From now on, most of the story will be written in English, even though the French characters do speak French. It saves me the trouble of having double dialogues, for both languages. And that will be so unless the French is necessary.

(If any of you guys are wondering, I am French myself so the language isn't any problem but it's just tiring to have to write a lot in both languages...)

Thanks,

_\- A week later -_

There was a knock at the door.

_Ah, that must be Luc._

"Hello Luc!"

"Good day to you!"

They shook hands.

"I am eager and ready for the visit, Mundy!"

"Yes, but first, your hand! Come in!"

Luc entered and found that Mundy had already prepared the bandages and desinfectant on the coffee table. Both men sat on the couch.

"So, how is your hand?"

"Much better thanks. The deepest cuts still hurt but it's mostly back to normal."

Mundy removed the previous bandage and looked all around the hand.

"Ah, some scars will definitely stay for a long while, if not forever. But I'm impressed at how quickly your skin repairs itself!"

_Ah, so a couple years with that crazy German's medigun is all it takes to actually show side effects!_

"Alright, we're good!"

"May I ask, you live in quite a spacious flat...?"

"Yeah, I have some flatmates, a couple of Frech people. They work most of the time but they're off to Bordeaux for the next couple of weeks, enjoying some nice holidays."

"Ah, I see... Thanks again for the bandage."

"Bah, it's nothing! Now if you're ready, we can go now?"

Both men stood up.

"After you!"

Mundy closed the door and both walked down the street.

"We will need to take 2 metros, do you have tickets?"

"No, we won't need that."

Mundy's eyebrows rose up.

"What do you mean?"

"Follow me."

Mundy was surprised and curious, he followed his friend to a nearby street. Luc stopped next to a car and opened the passenger's seat door for Mundy.

"Bloody hell! Is this your car?!"

"Non, I stole it from the president... Yes of course it's my car! Now, if you please..."

Mundy took his hat off and hopped in. The car was surely worth at least an arm and a leg! It was one of the expensive italian ones. Mundy was no expert but it did look amazingly beautiful and it was certainly very comfortable; nothing to do with his old van!

"Let us move."

Luc started the engine and off they went to the _Zoo de Vincennes._ It took them about 20 minutes during which Mundy tried to explain the different species of birds along with their habitat, their diet... and all that in French. He had a hard time finding his words in the first few minutes but by the end of the ride, he was speaking almost naturally.

"Right, here we are, let me show you the house!"

Mundy was not working that day but like every other zookeeper, he could let friends and family in for free.

"What animals do you prefer?"

"Well, after your very long presentation of the birds of prey, I'd be disappointed not to see them!"

"Alroight! Follow me then!"

Mundy took Lucien through and soon, both gentlemen arrived where the birds of prey are.

"Wait a minute, I need some equipment for this."

Luc nodded and waited. A couple minutes later, Mundy was coming back with a big bird on his right forearm and a set of pouches around his waist.

"Oh, hello Mister!"

"Luc, say hi to Anita!"

"Oh, sorry, good day to you Madame!"

Luc bowed slightly in front of the bird.

"She looks absolutely magnificent."

"She's a beaut'... She's one of the falcos that we have here. The zoo took her from a rich bloke who was abusing her and using her for hunting without proper trainin'... Poor Anita was underweight and very aggressive when she arrived. She's more comfy when I'm with her, innit Ani'?"

Mundy gave he bird a meaty treat. She gulped it down quickly.

"Good girl... Now, Luc, look at her claws, on my arms."

"Oh, wow, that's impressive!"

"Yeah, if I wasn't wearin' this thick glove, she could put her claws in my flesh for a few centimetres in!"

"Truly, Mundy, I am impressed by the knowledge you have, and the patience!"

"Bah, it's nothin'... I guess it's a bit like raisin' kids... Now, let me get our next friends!"

Mundy went away.

 _M_ _on Dieu_ , _I did not know he could be that passionate... And he is quite talkative when it comes to animals, he knows so much about them!_

"There, look at this, aren't they beatiful?"

"Very colourful!"

Mundy had brought half a dozen colourful and quite noisy parrots and exotic budgies.

"Wanna hold one?"

"Oh, I don't know if I can..."

"They're easy, don't worry, give me your arm."

Luc put forward his left arm and Mundy grabbed it.

"Now, mates, go say hi to Luc... C'mon! Chop, chop!"

The budgies, still singing loudly, moved and sat half on Mundy's arm, half on Luc's.

"Ah, you're makin' this difficult mates, but! Look!"

Mundy put his hand in a pouch and got some seeds out. He put them in Luc's left hand. Seeing the treats, the birds moved and ate in his hand. Luc laughed.

"That's quite a new sensation!"

"It's only a gentle tickle."

"Yes, it is... Oh look how carefully they handle the seeds!"

"Yeah, even though they have very powerful beaks, they still are very delicate creatures..."

Mundy gently pet the head of the biggest one. It was a blue-and-yellow macaw.

"Don't eat everything, you big boy eh! Leave some for your small brothers!"

The parrots definitely trusted more Luc after the treats. They started climbing his arm and now, they were spread on his shoulders. Luc straightened his back and tried to make the birds as comfortable as he could. A small budgie jumped on his head.

"What are you looking for up there?"

The bird started playing with Luc's hair, putting the locks of hair away from each other.

"Oi! Stop messin' with Luc's hair! You c'mere!"

Mundy raised his hands and grabbed the bird.

"Did you think Luc had a nest on his head or some'in? You weirdo!"

Luc smiled and chuckled.

"I'm sorry mate..."

"Ah, it's ok, I'm glad he found my head was a cosy place to settle!"

Mundy laughed.

"Alright, let me get them back home. Guys, c'mon!"

The blue-and-yellow macaw was the last to join Mundy's shoulder.

"C'mon big boy, we need to go back home, you can't live on Luc's shoulder forever!"

" _Goooood boy_!" The parrot answered.

"Nah, you're not being a good boy, don't make me come to get you "

" _Goooood boy home!"_

"Oh you think Luc's your new home?! What's it with you guys liking Luc too much! I'm gonna get jealous!"

Luc blushed.

 _"Allez, va!"_ [Come on, go!]

The parrot looked at Mundy and jumped to his forearm.

"Ah, I see, I have to train you in French then!"

Luc arranged his hair again. Behind his aviator glasses, Mundy's pupils dilated.

"That will be a good training exercise for you, Mundy."

"Oh I see now! You've sided with the boys!"

Luc laughed. Mundy smiled and winked at him.

"Alright, give me a second."

While Mundy was away, his wink stuck in Lucien's head for quite some time. He was slightly blushing. He could see through the glass that Mundy had entered the birds' enclosure and was putting them back on branches and ropes, giving them treats and petting them. Soon, he came back next to Luc.

"You have quite a good connection with the birds! Have you had any before?"

"Oh, non, I haven't. Though I am considering to get a pet. It would make my days less lonely."

He paused for a moment. He felt the sadness creeping up on him again from the inside.

"Here, take this."

Luc raised his head and saw Mundy handing him a caramel apple that he had got from one of the food stands. He had one for him as well. Luc's face brightened.

"Thanks."

"No worries, enjoy!"

They both started eating their apples while Mundy was going through the zoo, still giving explainations about the different species.

"Do you know what these apples are called in French?"

"Ermm _pommes de caramel?"_

"Non, they're called ' _pommes d'amour'._ "

"Apples of love?"

"Oui, usually men buy them for their ladies."

Mundy blushed.

"Well, no risk that _that_ happens with me..." Mundy whispered.

He thought he had been quiet enough for Luc not too hear in the crowded zoo.

" _Merci beaucoup Mundy!_ " Said Luc with a high pitched, feminine-like voice, while pretending to adjust his hypothetical long hair.

Both of them burst in laughter.

"I didn't know you were quite the imitator!"

"Oh, it's a quirk of mine!"

Shortly after, they found a bench to sit on. It was the end of the afternoon and the zoo was getting emptied of the visitors.

"Thank you very much, Mundy."

"Nah, thank you for teaching me French and also for being my first friend in this country."

"Oh, so you came to France without knowing anyone? That's quite brave!"

Mundy took off his hat and run his fingers through his hair.

"Well, I was kind of hoping I could meet with a former colleague."

_Ah..._

"So, what about that?"

Mundy sighed.

"I... Well... I don't know him that well but I thought it'd be nice to meet again, have a coffee or some'in'... And, the thing is that I've completely lost contact with him..."

"So, you didn't know him that well but you still travelled in the hope to meet him?"

"Well, erm... Yeah but..."

Mundy looked at Luc in the eyes. The Frenchman was smirking and it struck Mundy.

_I definitely saw those eyes somewhere before..._

Of course, Luc was far from innocently asking those questions. Being a former spy, he excelled at the art of manipulation and lies.

"Remember I said I had travelled to other places before coming to France?"

Luc nodded.

"Well I saw other colleagues too. The truth is I want to move on from my usual life in the Outback. So this world tour is a way to try new things, hoping that I'll find the change I'm lookin' for."

"Ah, I see."

"May I ask... What about you Luc?"

"What about _me?_ "

"Yeah, you said you were working in the wine industry right?"

"Yeah."

"You're quite young to retire, do you still work there?"

"Non, I don't. Wine is a very lucrative business. I have more than enough to live without working now, so why bother working?"

Mundy smiled.

"I guess you're right. But, don't you get bored?"

"Not anymore! I'm a French teacher now!"

Luc said, winking at Mundy.

"Oh, yeah, true!"

They both sighed. A few moments of silence passed before Luc said:

"She used to hate animals..."

Mundy turned his head, raising his eyebrows in surprise. Luc was staring at the giraffes in front of him.

"She used to say that they are a waste of money and energy... I don't think that's true."

Mundy looked at Luc with curiosity but did not want to interrupt him.

"But now she's gone. She was the reason I retired. And now she's gone."

Luc took a cigarette out of his inner pocket and lit it. He puffed some smoke out.

"Her leaving is the reason why I hurt my hand."

He turned to look at Mundy in the eyes.

"I was so furious I needed to let all that rage go. I punched my desk a couple times and tore a hole in it... Tell me, Mundy, you said once that you were a hunter before travelling the world, yes?"

Mundy nodded.

"Well, then maybe you can understand what I'm about to say... Or maybe you'll think I am an imbecile and a fool..."

"Nah mate, go ahead."

"After breaking my desk, I thought I would go pay a visit to her new lover and..."

He puffed some smoke out. His light blue eyes were shining fiercely as the sun started to set.

"...kill him."

Mundy gulped.

"Because the blood from my hand was running everywhere, I put some bandage around it roughly and went down the street. But the pain was killing me. I was nonetheless set on finding this man and shredding him to pieces even if I had to die of blood loss after that..."

He put the cigarette to his lips again, elegantly and puffed some smoke out.

"As I was rushing in the streets, I was paying no attention to the people around me and guess who I bumped into?"

Mundy opened wide eyes.

_"Me?!"_

"Oui, you, Mundy."

Mundy put a hand on his cheek and let it sink in front of his mouth.

"Are you telling me that...?"

"Oui, that day, you saved not one, but two lives: that poor bastard's and mine."

Mundy inhaled and sighed loudly, his eyes were the size of a planet and he was blinking repeatedly, to digest Luc's story.

**_\- Author's note -_ **

Thanks for reading!

Hopefully you liked this chapter! If so, please let me know in the reviews/comments :D It means the world to me and pushes me to write more!

Cheers! ;)


	6. Chapter 6

"That's quite a story Luc..."

Luc nodded, still staring at the giraffes far in front of him. The more Mundy looked at his light blue, ice drop-like eyes, the more he felt something in his guts. His eyes went down to Luc's slim nose and got stuck at his lips...

_Bloody hell, no, not with him! He's the only friend I have here_ , _I don't want to lose that..._

"Indeed it is." Luc said, breaking Mundy's train of thought.

_And I thank God I met you, Mundy..._

"Sorry if I brought the mood down a bit here."

"No worries. Now I understand your hand injury..."

"Gentlemen!"

Both Luc and Mundy turned their heads. One of the zookeepers came closer to them.

"Oh, Mundy that's you, hello! You're alright? You don't work today, what are you doing here?"

Luc raised an eyebrow and smiled slightly but Mundy didn't see it.

"Yeah, cheers Mélanie, I'm just showin' the house to my friend Luc here."

Luc extended his hand. She shook it but her eyes never left Mundy's.

"Hey Luc... We're just about to close guys, I'm sorry."

"Ah, yeah, yeah, no worries, we'll go now, cheers mate."

They stood up and Mundy led the way to the exit. At some point, Luc stopped and looked behind them.

"Y'alright?"

"Oui... oui, sorry, I'm lost in my thoughts."

Mundy didn't pay much attention and continued walking. Luc caught up with him. They finally found themselves on the zoo's parking lot.

"So, what now?"

_Now, Mundy, I have to be brave, for I want to spend more time with you._

"I would like to invite you to dinner."

Mundy froze. _Calm down, breathe, it's just a friendly dinner, nothing else..._

"Uh... wait..."

"Oh, you already had plans for tonight?"

_No, I want to spend more time with him._ Mundy thought.

"Actually no, let's go get some'in!"

Again, Luc went to the car and opened Mundy's door.

"If you please..."

"Cheers mate."

He closed the door, went around and hopped in the car himself.

"I must say, you're very polite, holdin' the door for me. But it's fine I can get the door myself! That lady o'yours, she must have felt like a princess with you!"

Mundy froze.

_I said it out loud, bloody hell, what have I done?! I'm gonna lose him..._

Luc also froze.

_Merde, I never used to do that with her_...

"Sorry, sorry that's awkward and impolite of me mate... I'm sorry..."

Luc sighed, he turned to face Mundy.

"It's ok, I..."

_Wait, I can almost hear his heart beating from this distance, why is Mundy so nervous...?_

"... don't mind."

Luc started the engine and rode off.

"Now that I have shared something quite... let's say _'intimate'_ with you, Mundy, can I ask you something?"

Mundy's eyes shot to his right, as far away as he could from Luc, to avoid his eyes.

"Yeah, I guess..."

"When I said that caramel apples when given by men to their ladies, you said ' _no risk that happens with me'_ , why? Are you single as well?"

Mundy felt hot. He didn't know how to lie and he could not lie to his friend. Somewhere deep down he even wanted him to know the truth. But such truth is very hard to admit.

"Erm... well... yeah, yeah, I don't have anyone in my life at the moment."

_That way, I'm not lying._

"Hm... How long have you been here in France, a couple weeks now right?"

"Yeah?"

"And that girl, the zookeeper, Mélanie, she's known you since you arrived right?"

Mundy was confused.

"Yeah but what's this got to do with-"

Luc interrupted him.

"Ah... I see..."

He smirked. _I might have my chances then._

"You don't have to say it. _I know._ "

Mundy went from hot to dead cold in a fraction of a second.

"Whot?"

"Well, that girl. She's quite good looking and you two obviously share a common interest, animals. Yet, you hardly even looked at her when she was talking to you..."

_Shit, bloody hell, I wasn't looking at her because I was swimming in the clear lagoon that is your eyes..._

Luc stopped talking for a second to change gears.

"Even though she was eating you with her eyes as we say in French. To the point where she actually followed you on our way out of the zoo, from a fair distance, but still."

Mundy's jaw dropped.

"How the hell d'you know that she followed us?"

"She didn't follow _us,_ she followed _you._ When I stopped for a while, she didn't care and as you were heading out, she continued to follow you, getting closer to me."

Luc parked the car in front of a restaurant.

"So..."

He stopped the engine.

"I understand Monsieur is not a ladies' man..."

Luc reached a button with his left hand to switch the light on in the car. Mundy was as red as a tomato.

"... But prefers men, am I correct?"

Mundy was petrified with fear and shame.

"Mundy..."

Luc looked at his friend. But Mundy still couldn't look him in the eye.

"Mundy, look at me."

Mundy obeyed this time. His eyes met with the Frenchman's gorgeous ones. He couldn't breathe.

"It's perfectly fine. I'm not thinking any less of you. In fact..."

Someone knocked on the window, on Luc's side.

Luc put the window down.

"You're not allowed to park here- Oh Lulu! My good friend Lulu! Nice car you have! Were you coming in?"

"Oui, give me a second."

He put the window up again and both exited the car.

Luc exchanged some words with the man who clearly was dressed as a member of staff from that restaurant. Both seemed to know each other quite well as the nickname "Lulu" for Luc showed.

"Please Étienne, give us a nice quiet table. The gentleman here and I would like to enjoy some fine food in peace. And, he is a foreigner, we want to make a good impression on him."

_You already did..._

The restaurant was quite fancy. The light were down and it also had a stage in a corner with a piano on it and a musician being busy with some calm, soothing jazz tunes.

"Is this table fine for the gentlemen?"

They were in a corner, quite far from the other tables.

"Perfect, merci Étienne."

Both men sat, face to face and the waiter gave them the menus.

"Believe it or not, I used to work here when I was much, much younger."

"Oh, as a waiter?"

"No, a singer. See the stage? I used to sing while a couple musicians accompanied me..."

"Erm.. Luc?"

"Oui?"

"Thanks."

"What for?"

"For what you said, back in your car."

"Oh? That's nothing, really."

"No, it is bloody big. No one knows this about me. Not even my family."

Mundy looked up, at Luc's eyes again. He saw the flame of the candle on the table dance in his eyes.

"The gentlemen made their choice?"

Etienne interrupted Mundy in his train of thought. Both men ordered their food which arrived quite quickly. They enjoyed the food, especially Mundy for whom everything was new, as it was quite typical French food. Then came desserts. Mundy was once more on a cloud in the sky, as the French pastries were delicious.

Luc lit a cigarette up.

"I see you enjoyed this meal." He said smiling.

The soft light from the candle and the overall low lights in the restaurant were not helping Mundy. Inside himself, he was fighting.

_He is absolutely gorgeous... His eyes, his thin lips, his silhouette... But, he likes women... Bugger, bugger, bugger... Why is it always like this..._

"Now, if you'll excuse me."

Luc stood up and walked away. Mundy looked surprised for a second. He followed him with his eyes and saw him disappear behind a door.

_Now, I will try and tell you something Mundy... I will say it in English, hopefully you will understand. Mélanie wasn't the only one devouring you with her eyes..._

He jumped on the stage, he had changed for a more elegant costume: a dark blue velvet vest, a black pair of trousers and a satin bowtie. Mundy's jaw dropped. Luc patted on the piano player's shoulder and grabbed the microphone that was on the nearby stand. A spotlight switched on and illuminated Luc on the stage.

"Ladies and Gentlemen, my name is Lulu and I would like to sing something for a very special friend..."

The piano started.

" _Someday, when I'm awfully low,_

_when the world is cold,_

_I will feel a glow, just thinking of you,_

_And the way you look tonight..."_

Luc was looking at that corner of the restaurant, directly at Mundy. _Is he looking at me?_

" _Yes you're lovely,_

_With your smile so warm,_

_And your cheek so soft,_

_There is nothing for me but to love, you_

_And the way you look tonight."_

Mundy had tears in his eyes and put his hands on his open mouth. _Yes, oh goodness, he is..._ _b_ _loody hell, what a voice..._

" _With each word,_

_Your tenderness grows_

_Tearing my fears apart,_

_And that laugh,_

_That wrinkles your nose,_

_Touches my foolish heart."_

Mundy gasped and he opened wide eyes. _That's it! Oh my goodness, that's it!_ _I know where I saw those eyes! I knew I had seen him before! Bloody hell, Spook, I found you! I did it! Luc is only short for Lucien! That's why he had this exceptional sense of observation, he's the bloody spook! The tan line on my wrist, Mélanie following us... Oh my goodness..._

_"Lovely,_

_Never ever change_

_Keep that breathless charm,_

_Won't you please arrrange it_

_Cause I love you_

_Just the way you look tonight..."_

The piano continued through a solo for a moment before Luc resumed singing. Mundy felt his heart burn until it burst in his chest and he started crying on his seat, from the corner of the restaurant. Luc's voice was breathtaking and there was no doubt, he was singing for him. The song ended, people in the restaurant gave Luc a standing ovation and Luc exited the stage.

"Sir, please follow me."

Mundy looked up, Etienne was talking to him. He stood up, wiping his tears, and followed the waiter through the same door he had seen Luc disappear through.

"Turn on your right, first door on your left."

"Thanks."

The waiter disappeared. Mundy looked at that first door on the left. From the other side, Lucien was overly anxious.

_Now either he opens this door with a kukhri and slices through me, or..._

There was a knock at the door.

Lucien got up off his chair. He opened the door. There they both were. Standing still, looking at each other's eyes. Lucien saw Mundy had cried. Mundy, as usual, was at a loss for words when he looked at those eyes.

Lucien broke the silence.

"Please come in."

Mundy enetered and Lucien locked the door behind him. The room was small but there was a couple of clothes rails, a chair in front of a big mirror and a comfortable sofa.

"Take a seat."

Mundy, still speechless, sat on the sofa. Lucien undid his bowtie and threw it on the chair in front of the mirror. He changed back to his normal vest and sat next to Mundy.

"I need to tell you the truth."

He put his hand in his inner pocket and got a knife out. He put it on Mundy's lap.

"I think you can recognise this. I apologise for having lied to you. It was not my intention at the start. When I first saw you, of course I instantly recognised you. But you, you didn't because for the first time you were seeing me without my balaclava. Please, don't hate me for this, Mundy, I wasn't sure if you had recognised me or not and... As I said, when I met you, I was on my way to... to kill a man I couldn't care less about now. I behaved like a simpleton. But before telling you that truth, I needed to tell you another truth... I needed to tell you that I..."

Lucien gulped.

"... and I thought that I needed to tell it to you in English, because it would make more sense for you... So I spent some time thinking and the easiest way for me to do it is singing... But I would tell you that I... I would tell you what I feel about you and then I would also have to tell you the truth about who I am..."

He took a deep breath.

" I am Lucien, the former Spy on your team at Mann Co and I love you madly."

Lucien raised his eyes to look at Mundy.

"You... I..."

"Yes, I lied to you, my deepest apologies for this, Mundy."

"No, I... I knew you were the spook..."

"What?! How?"

"When you were on stage, I don't know how but at some point the light was shining brightly on your eyes and the rest of your face seemed a bit darker and I saw it... I saw your face with the mask again and I finally recognised you... Though to be fair, I thought I had seen your eyes somewhere else before."

Mundy took a deep breath.

"I guess I need to be honest with you, too Luc-Lucien, sorry."

"Oh?"

Mundy stood up.

"I... erm... Stand up, please."

Lucien stood up. Mundy put his arms around Lucien and hugged him. Lucien's heart melted. Mundy moved his mouth to Lucien's ear and whispered.

" _Je t'aime aussi..."_ [I love you too.]

Lucien looked up a Mundy and smiled. They both could feel each other's hearts racing.

_My God, his eyes..._

_Mon Dieu, his lips..._

Mundy bent his head down slightly and put his forehead on Lucien's. He closed his eyes. The latter pushed himself on the tip on his toes and raised his head a bit. Their lips touched, briefly, delicately and Lucien withdrew, fearing that it might be too much for Mundy. But the Australian wanted more so he put his head down and kissed Lucien passionately while pulling his waist to himself. Lucien could feel how much Mundy wanted this kiss as he was pulling quite strongly on his waist. He felt his long, powerful fingers slip underneath his vest and on his shirt. Lucien put one hand on Mundy's cheek and the other behind his neck, his fingers going through his hair slightly. Mundy broke the kiss and looked at Lucien.

"I'm... I..."

Lucien's fingers went down to Mundy's jacket collar and pushed it back gently, it fell on the ground. Mundy mimicked the gesture on Lucien's vest. Lucien looked up at Mundy's eyes. His pupils were wide. Mundy pulled him again but this time, he just went for a hug. But it wasn't a friendly hug. It was one of those hugs where Mundy wanted to feel all his body against Lucien's.

"I see Monsieur is enjoying himself?"

"Yeah captain obvious!"

"Non, I meant... I can feel you... _down south..._ "

Mundy went red as a tomato and broke the hug. Yes, his body was asking for more than a hug but he wasn't sure if Lucien wanted it too. After all, he was used to spending his nights with ladies, not men.

Lucien smiled and this time he put his hands on Mundy's cheek, turning his head slightly to whisper in his ear.

" _You have the same effect on me._ _And I love it..._ "

He pulled and kissed Mundy passionately. The latter couldn't resist any more. He put his hands on Lucien's waist and pulled his shirt up to slide his hands on the Frenchman's very skin. Lucien blushed and smiled, moaning slightly...

Thank God Lucien had locked the door when Mundy entered!

_**\-- Author's note --** _

Thanks for reading and please, as usual, let me know if it's good or if I went too far with this!

Gotta open the window, this chapter got me pretty hot! ;)

However, this is not the end!

Stay tuned for Chapter 7!


	7. Chapter 7

_\- Next morning -_

Lucien opened his eyes slowly. He looked around him. He was still in that backstage room in the restaurant.

"Ah, you're awake."

They had opened the sofa which was now a bed, and Lucien had his head lying on Mundy's chest.

"Oui... Have you been awake for long?"

"I can't say..."

Lucien rubbed his eyes.

"... I've been watching you since I've been up."

"Oh, you stalker..."

Mundy smiled, showing his white teeth, with his pointy canines.

"I just couldn't move, with you on top of me!"

"Oh, I see, I'll keep a note of that: you don't like me to be _on top of you."_

Mundy blushed.

"That's not what I said! I... You... You were _sleeping_ on me!"

Lucien smirked.

"I know what you meant, I'm just teasing."

He lifted himself off Mundy's chest and sat, his back against what would be the sofa's back.

"So, did you like my show yesterday?"

"Whot? O'course I did! I didn't know you had such a voice..."

Lucien smiled proudly.

"It was so... strong! I might have shed a tear..."

The Frenchman raised an eyebrow and smirked. He extended his arm to grab his vest and grabbed his cigarette case out.

"You still use the same cigarette case?"

"Well, oui..."

"I hadn't noticed."

"That's because I didn't show it to you once until now."

Mundy's eyebrows jumped up.

"I'm pretty sure that if I had shown it to you, you would have recognised me instantly, yes?"

"I guess I would, yeah..."

Mundy lifted himself and sat next to Lucien.

"By the way, I didn't know you erm... liked men as well? I mean, don't get me wrong, I'm bloody happy you do, but given the success you were said to have with the ladies..."

Lucien smiled proudly.

"It is true, I have my small success..."

"I'd never known you could... fall for a man... let alone a bloke like me."

"Well, I didn't know I could either and to be honest, back in the Mann Co days, I was really not attracted to you.. Oh Lord, no! And with the other Sniper covering me in jarate all the time, uh!"

Lucien made a disgusted face.

"On top of that, I was with a lady back then... The one that left me a couple of weeks before I met you."

"Whot happened? Why did she leave you?"

Lucien sighed.

"She was complaining I was never with her, which, I guess, is completely true... At first I didn't tell her I was a spy because I thought it wouldn't last between us. One morning, I woke up and she wasn't in the flat anymore. All her belongings had disappeared as well, she left only a note saying that she left."

Mundy was at Lucien's right. He moved closer to Lucien and slid his fingers along Lucien's right forearm. He held his bandaged hand in his.

"For a couple weeks I lived normally, lying to myself, pretending she was away and would come back. But she didn't. So I went to the Ministry of Defense and handed in a letter of resignation."

Mundy heard Lucien's sad tone of voice. It tore his heart apart. _Don't worry, I won't ever do that to you..._ "Proud of myself, I called her and told her the news. I was no longer a spy! She told me that she had moved on... Of course I knew she was seeing someone else and that didn't surprise me, given she was very elegant and good looking..."

"Can I ask you one question Lucien? And please, be brutally honest."

Lucien raised an eyebrow.

"Oui, of course."

"What am I for you? Is it only a one night thing? Do you think it could last? Do you _want_ it to last?"

Lucien smiled.

"That more than one question, but I shall answer them."

He cleared his throat.

"What you are for me? Precious. If it's only a one night thing? I hope not, for I'd love more nights like these with you."

Mundy smiled and blushed again.

"Do I think it could last? I have no clue... What was the last one again?"

"If you wanted it to last?"

"Well, that goes beyond my only power. What do _you_ think? Do _you_ want to see me again?"

Mundy squeezed his grip on Lucien's hand. The latter looked at the Australian. He was clearly nervous.

"What's the matter?"

"I'm... I'm so used to being rejected or not looked at that... I don't know what I want... I mean usually I fall for a bloke but they're generally into ladies so I just... like them from far away... In my own head... 'cause I know they can't know. If they knew, they'd look at me like a freak."

"Mundy..."

 _What a voice he has..._ Lucien said Mundy's name slowly, with a low voice, almost whispering. Mundy could feel his ribcage tremble and the goosebumps...

"You asked me to be honest, time for me to ask you the same."

Mundy closed his eyes and frowned.

"Please, tell me what you feel."

_I want to tell him that I can't resist him. I want to tell him that I want us to last for as long as we're breathin'... But then, what if he also thinks I'm a freak and he's been lying all along..._

"I can't..." Mundy said, opening his eyes all of a sudden, breathing with difficulty.

"...I'm sorry mate, I can't."

Lucien put his cigarette away.

"Why is that?"

Mundy took back his hand and wrapped his arms around himself.

"Because each time I did that with other people, I ended up badly."

He got off the bed, dressed up quickly and left. Lucien's jaw dropped.

 _Merde, I've gone too far with the mind games and I've struck a nerve..._ _So I guess I've lost him now..._

There was a knock at the door.

"Who's that?"

"It's me, Lulu, it's Étienne."

"Ah, wait a second."

Luvien jumped out of the bed, put on some clothes, closed the bed and opened the door.

"I saw your friend leave, is everything alright? He seemed mad!"

Lucien, was putting a tie around his neck, in front of the mirror and stopped on Étienne's words. He turned to face him.

"What do you mean 'mad'?"

"Well, the chairs were up on the tables for me to clean the floor and as he rushed through the restaurant he swept a large amount of them away...!"

"Ah, merde, I'm sorry Étienne, I will put them back."

"... And he lost this."

Étienne handed Mundy's hat to Lucien.

"Well, I don't think I can give it back to him unfortunately..."

He held the hat and looked at it intensely. Etienne put the tea towel he had in his hand on his shoulder.

"What do you mean?"

"I guess you know why I wanted to sing yesterday?"

"Yes, because you love him."

Lucien smiled sadly.

"Oui, I do..."

"Then go after him!"

"But I ruined everything!"

"Lulu, you surprise me! The Lulu I know would do anything to get his beloved at his side, even if he had to tear them from another person's arm!"

"Yes, but look at me! I'm old now... Back in the days, yes, I was able to make a lady fall in my arms with a snap of my fingers! But now..."

He sighed and put his vest on, slowly. It seemed to him that it was weighing much more than what it was the day before. He was about to leave the room when Etienne held his arm.

"Please, go after him."

"What?"

"Rarely have I seen you sing like you did yesterday, you really love this man, you shouldn't let me go."

Lucien sighed.

"What should I do then, Etienne?"

"Do you love him?"

"Of course I do."

"Do you want to be with him?"

Lucien got fed up.

" _I CRAVE TO FEEL HIM WITH ME_! There, I said it..."

"Then, what are you still doing here?"

_**\- Author's notes -** _

Thanks for reading, let me know what your thoughts are in the comments!

And stay tuned for Chapter 8!


	8. Chapter 8

There was a knock at the door.

"Who's that?"

"It's me Lucien."

Lucien had come at Mundy's flat door.

"Go away!"

"Mundy, I am sorry, please let me speak."

"GO AWAY!"

Mundy shouted from the otherside of the door. Lucien sighed but then he heard Etienne's words again.

_I will go nowhere, I will camp here if necessary but I won't go before I tell you what I need to tell you._

He sat down on the doormat, took a cigarette out of its case and lit it, not knowing what was happening on the other side of the door.

_Bloody hell..._

Mundy had left the couch and sat down, his back on his other side of the door. He calmed down.

"Lucien?"

Lucien ears pricked, he understood that Mundy was right on the other side of the door.

"Oui?"

"Tell me."

"What?"

"Tell me what you wanted to tell me. Tell me that I'm only a one night thing, another trophy on the wall of people you've seduced, with the additional bonus that I'm a man, so that's a first for you."

Lucien opened wide eyes.

_Do I really mislead people that much_?

"C'mon, say it and go away already."

Lucien frowned.

"Non. You are very wrong, almost everything you said was absolute nonesense and absolutely not what I think."

" _Almost everything_ , eh? So what was true in that? I'm only a one nighter? "

"Non, you're the first man I've ever spent a night with. Now, listen Mundy and please don't interrupt because this game has lasted too long already."

"You? Fed up with mind games? I thought that was your trade!"

"Silence, _Bushman!"_

Lucien gasped and put his hand on his mouth. _Merde, that slipped out of my mouth!_

Mundy opened wide eyes. _Bushman..._ That's how he used to be called by Lucien when they were working in Mann Co. The word resonated in the walls of his skull like a rubber ball.

_At least, that shut him up._ Lucien cleared his throat.

" _Quand tu me prends dans tes bras, [When you embrace me]"_

Lucien's singing voice made Mundy's jaw drop.

_"Tu me parles tout bas, [When you speak with your low voice]_

_Je vois la vie en rose." [I see life with pink tainted glasses.]_

Lucien paused and sighed.

"You still understand English, right? So let me say this in English, just so I'm sure you understand. I love you and I crave to be with you, feel you against me, feel your thin lips on mine..."

Lucien was touching the door with the tips of his fingers as if he were touching Mundy's skin.

"My apologies for playing too much with you. I realise I shouldn't have done that and I feel I disrespected you for making you feel this bad... Plus, it's all my fault. From now on, I shall be as honest as you want..."

"Lucien, you have no idea how hard it is to be like me..."

"What do you mean?"

"Liking men and not being as good looking as..."

He hesitated for a second.

"...you. You can have any man or woman you want with only a snap of your fingers, you look like you've been modeled by angels themselves. But me... And when finally I think I find someone who likes me, you have to be all mysterious and whatnot! I don't like these kind of games because I am only a simple man, if I like someone, I just want them to like me. No games, no pretendin', no nothin'."

Lucien closed his eyes for a second.

"And I like that about you, Mundy. You never had to lie or deceive in your life... You are so innocent... I was litterally _paid to lie,_ it's been my job for years and years..."

"Well at least you chose it. I had to lie. My family don't know that about me. My very parents are sad because they see my being alone all the time. I never brought someone home because I don't have the courage to tell them. And each time they ask me, I have to invent yet another story... No Lucien, I had to lie all my bloody life. The only difference with you, is that I don't have any choice."

Lucien looked to the sky. It started raining.

"You have no idea..."

Mundy's voice broke.

"I love you Lucien, I love you so much..."

_Merde, he is crying._

"The night I spent with you... I have never felt that... Never..."

Mundy's voice sounded like he was going away from the door.

_Oh, now is my chance._

Lucien quickly opened his cigarette case and took a couple of long pins out. _Let's see if my memory still serves..._

"You asked me what I thought? Well here is what I think: I want you to be with me..."

Mundy wiped his eyes and sniffed.

"I want us to last for as long as possible... I love you, bloody hell, _I love you_! I want to share my days and my nights with you..."

He was standing in front of the coffee table, where he had got the tissue from.

"And you might know it already but yeah, you're bloody irresistible, you look amazing, as elegant as a devil, you have no idea-ah!"

Mundy gasped as he felt someone hugging him from behind.

"I can't stand to hear you cry Mundy. I had to come in, sorry."

Mundy turned his head and saw Lucien had entered. He turned to face him. Lucien took a handkerchief out of his vest pocket and wiped Mundy's tears. while saying with a low voice:

"Mundy, if I was modeled by angels, you are the work of gods. Elegance? Maybe I am elegant but you have charm, and a lot of it; so much that the thought of you sets my very soul on fire. I yearn to be with you, Mundy..."

He put the handkerchief away.

"Yesterday when I tried to kiss you, I did not go for the full thing because I want to go at _your_ pace. I want you to feel comfortable with me and I realise I did all this wrong. I apologise."

Lucien put his hands on Mundy's cheek.

"I am in love with you, madly, and it would be an honour for me to spend what time I have left on this earth with you."

He pulled Mundy's head so that their foreheads touched.

"I am sorry to have mistreated you. Please give me another chance, I beg you."

_Now, it's his decision and I will respect whatever he decides._

He took a step back from Mundy, standing in front of him and closed his eyes.

"You decide."

Without hesitating, Mundy took a step forward, wrapped his arms around Lucien's waist and kissed his lips passionately. Of course Lucien reciprocated the kiss, putting his arms around Mundy's neck.

" _Merci beaucoup, Mundy."_ [Many thanks, Mundy.]

"I'm glad that you... _like me as much as I do you."_

"I don't like you. I love you. Back in the restaurant where you left me, I thought I had lost you... You have to thank Étienne, he is the one that convinced me to run after you."

"Wait, you didn't want to?"

"Non, of course I wanted to but I was scared. Étienne reminded me that yes, back in the days, I would run after my loved one, even if I had to tear them off someone else's arms, but with you... I love you differently."

Mundy motioned Lucien to the sofa. They both sat down.

"Back in the restaurant days, I would take advantage of my good looks and manners to... well... _have my fun with the ladies..._ I did not really love them, I just hated to go to bed alone. But when Étienne talked about those time, that's when I realised it. I hadn't love any of them. I liked them, yes, they were nice people."

"So, whot's the difference then?"

"The difference is that when you tell me about what you like or anything else, I don't pretend to pay attention. I actually care."

Mundy raised an eyebrow.

"Wait, mate, you mean to tell me that you were putting an act with all those ladies?!"

Lucien lowered his head and nodded.

"That, Mundy, is the cruel game of seduction and the story of how I became one of the top operating spies in this country. Sleeping with the ladies of the most influential people of the country tells you a lot about those men."

Mundy's jaw dropped.

"Spying is not all about backstabbing... Anyway, that's not important. What is important is that you give me a second chance. Thank you, you are truly one of a kind."

Mundy smiled.

"Nah, thank you for... well... eveything..."

Lucien smiled in return.

"Oh, I nearly forgot..."

Lucien got off the couch and went to the front door. He opened and bent down. Mundy couldn't exactly see what he was doing but Lucien closed the door and came back on the sofa.

"... You forgot this at the restaurant."

Mundy saw his hat in Lucien's extended hand.

"Wait, first you break into my flat and you don't take my hat in with you?!"

"Mundy! I couldn't stand the sound of you crying so yes, I rushed in and forgot the hat on the doormat!"

Mundy smirked and winked.

"Gotcha!"

Lucien got surprised but then smirked.

"Oh, I see how it is! You can play tricks on me but I can't?!"

Mundy raised his shoulders, still smiling.

"And by the way, I did not exactly _break_ into your flat!"

"Whot then? You _invited yourself in_ _?!"_

"It's not _my_ fault if _your_ door is that easy to lockpick!"

_**\-- Author's notes --**_ Thanks for reading :D

As always, let me know what y'all think! It boosts me up and fuels my will to continue writing!

Stay tuned for next chapter! :)


	9. Chapter 9

\- _Paris, couple weeks later -_

Lucien was waiting. He was wearing a suit, as always and a pair of sunglasses. He was sitting on his car's bonnet, smoking a cigarette.

_He shouldn't be much longer._

The zoo was getting emptied. A family walked near Lucien and a small child pointed at the car. Lucien noticed and smiled. He crouched to be at the child's eye level.

"You like my car?"

"It's very beautiful sir! I've never seen one like it before!"

"Thank you.."

He raised his head to meet the parents' eyes.

"... If you listen to your parents and work hard, you can get an even better looking one!"

The child laughed and ran back to his parents. They had heard what Lucien said and nodded in thanks.

"I didn't know you could be that good with kids."

Lucien smiled and turned.

"Well, you should..."

Both Mundy and him entered the car.

"... after all, I'm good with _you_!"

"Oi!"

Lucien started the engine.

"I'm no bloody kid!"

"Compared to me, you are!"

Mundy couldn't hide a smile.

"So, how was it today?"

"It's gettin' tricky to do the trainin'..."

"Why?"

"Well... Erm... How can I say that..? Erm... The season is not ideal..."

"Ah... you mean it's the season of love for birds?"

"Yeah... So I have to isolate them from each other otherwise the males are too busy tryin' to get to the females… It's a bit tiring..."

"Can they work though?"

"Kinda... But it takes me more time 'cause now I have to get their attention first and then train'em..."

"Mmmh... I guess you are tired then?"

"Yeah... Sorry did you have any plans for tonight?"

"I did, yes."

"Sorry but I'd rather go back home and relax..."

Lucien smiled.

"Sounds like a good plan, do you mind if _I_ get in charge of the relaxing for Monsieur?"

Mundy blushed.

"Erm... Sure..."

Lucien smirked behind his sunglasses.

\- _Lucien's flat -_

"Lu', I did what you said."

"Good, just an instant."

Mundy was sitting on Lucien's bed wearing only a towel around his waist. Soon, Lucien opened the bedroom door, a basket in his hand. He put the basket on the nightstand.

"Now, if you please, lie on the bed, on your stomach."

Mundy obeyed and Lucien covered him with the towel. His shoulders, back and legs were still naked. Lucien went and switched the main light off, leaving only the nightstand lights on. He took a couple candles from the basket and, putting them carefully at strategic places in the bedroom, he got his lighter out and lit them up. Soon, a faint smell of vanilla floated in the bedroom. He came back to the basket and rolled up his sleeves. He got a bottle out and poured a bit of oil on his hand.

_Time to impress!_

He put his hands on Mundy's shoulders and started the massage. Even with the faint nightstand lights he could see the countless backstab marks that his former enemy BLU Spy had left on Mundy's back. He did not care about it too much and continued working. He had not realised but Mundy was now half asleep. Lucien then pulled Mundy's arms further apart from his body and started working on them. He would come back to the oil from time to time but other than that, he was very focused on trying to help Mundy relax as best as he could. He didn't put any music on nor did he sing or whistle for he thought that after a day working with loud birds, the best thing Mundy could get is absolute silence. Only the sound of the friction of Lucien's experienced hands on Mundy's body could be heard. Lucien moved along to Mundy's thighs and legs. It took him a bit of time (after all, Mundy had long legs eh!) but he soon finished. He then went to Mundy's head and looked at him.

_Mon Dieu, he is adorable when he sleeps._

He got his lips close to Mundy's ear and whispered:

"Can you turn on your back please, _mon amour?_ " [my love]

Mundy opened his eyes and blinked a couple times before turning. He made sure the towel was still covering him. Lucien went to Mundy's ear again.

" _Merci mon coeur."_ [Thank you sweetheart.]

Lucien got back to work on Mundy's chest. He started on his stomach and moved up to his shoulders and neck. He finally reached his face. Mundy was lying perpendicularly to the usual way people lie on a bed. That way, Lucien could kneel next to the bed and have easy access to Mundy's face. He run his delicate fingers from Mundy's thin chin all the way up to his forehead repeatedly. He then did it from the forehead to the chin, spending some time on the cheeks. Lucien's eyes were locked on Mundy's lips. The latter was between sleeping and dreaming while his lover fought the urge to dive in and kiss those lips...

He soon stopped and looked down. Mundy's body was completely relaxed and the tired man's eyes were still shut. Lucien got up and went to the bathroom. He washed his hands and opened the taps for the bath. Lucien's flat was spacious as his former lover had luxurious tastes. It turned out to be very useful for the next part of Lucien's plan...

He undressed and put a towel around his waist. He came back to the bedroom where Mundy was still lying with closed eyes. He climbed on the bed slowly and delicately, like a cat and put his lips next to Mundy's ear.

"Mon amour, wake up..."

Mundy growled.

"Please..."

"You'll have to tear me out of this bed's arms, Lu'..." Mundy said, his eyes still closed.

"Or I could make _you_ cling to me...?"

Lucien moved and put his lips on Mundy's. He pressed ever so delicately and withdrew quickly. Mundy's cheeks turned pink and he smiled.

"Come back..."

Lucien laughed deeply.

"How the tables have turned... You'll have to move if you want me back-mh!"

Mundy had wrapped his hands on Lucien's cheeks and pulled him down to resume the kiss. After a moment he finally let go and opened his eyes.

"Thank you for the massage."

"It was my pleasure. Now, come with me..."

Lucien took Mundy's hand in his and led the man to the bathroom. The bath was ready and big enough for both of them to fit there!

"After you."

Mundy let go of the towel and slipped in.

"Do you mind if I join?"

"Well, not gonna lie, I'd love you to!"

Lucien joined him. Mundy was sitting, his back on the bathtub and Lucien slipped under his right arm, resting his head on. Mundy's chest.

"Is Monsieur relaxing?"

"Yeah, thanks luv'."

Lucien smiled.

"Then I am satisfied..."

He reached with his hand on the floor next to the bath, there was a bottle. He poured a bit of it in the water and stirred the water. A thick foam started growing on the surface of the water. Lucien took a big bubble delicately and put it on Mundy's nose.

"Oh I got it, I got a big nose!"

Lucien smiled.

"I don't see a big nose, I see a perfect one."

He put his head back on Mundy's chest, a hand caressing his stomach underwater and his right leg between Mundy's.

"Mundy?"

"Yeah?"

"I love you."

Mundy smiled and blushed.

"I love you too."

"I don't want to bring the mood down but I need to say something..."

Mundy's eyebrows jumped.

"Yeah, no worries, say it."

"When my previous partner left me, I thought I'd never find anyone... given my age. I thought I'd just... well... walk myself to the grave, like a dog that was once used to a good life and then got left on the motorway on a summer holiday..."

Mundy looked down. Lucien was staring at his chest but his hand had stopped stroking his stomach. Mundy slipped his left arm underwater and held Lucien's hand in his, putting it on his heart.

"Lu', do you feel this? With your hand?"

"Your heartbeat?"

"No, it's not _my_ heartbeart. It's yours."

Lucien raised his head to look at Mundy in the eyes. Mundy was smiling, looking down at Lucien to comfort him. Lucien's eyes were slightly red and shining with the tears he was holding back.

"This heart in my chest, it's yours. Listen, I've never left anyone I was with before. It's always been the other one that leaves me. I love you, Lu' and I will never leave you. This heart you're feelin', if it was not for you, it wouldn't be beatin' at all."

Lucien's pupils dilated to the point where Mundy thought that he looked like a cat. But Mundy's train of thought broke and Lucien pushed himself up and reached for Mundy's lips. Doing so, he climbed on Mundy, putting one leg on each side of him and resting on his pelvis. He held Mundy's face in his hands and bent down to kiss him. Mundy put his hands on Lucien's ribs and slid down to his waist, pulling him close and caressing him. When Lucien broke the kiss, he bent and rested his head on Mundy's chest, while the latter wrapped his arms around him.

"I love you Lucien and I will never leave you. I will spend my days and nights with you for as long as I'm breathin'."

_**\- Author's notes -** _

Well that's another romantic chapter! Thanks for reading and hopefully you like it as much as I do!

Stay tuned for next chapter! :D


	10. Chapter 10

Mundy arrived in front of the restaurant. Étienne saw him and welcomed him in.

"Ah, Mundy, hello! How are you?"

He extended his hand for Mundy to shake.

"Étienne, I'm fine, cheers, a bit impatient actually."

"We all are, come in please, Lulu saved your table."

Mundy followed Étienne through the crowd to discover that the table Lucien booked was the same thay had sat at for their first dinner. On it was a card that read " _Reserved"_. He sat down and nodded Étienne in thanks. He looked around, the restaurant was fully booked!

"Lots of people tonight!"

"Well, Lulu has his reputation! When he asked me to sing again like the good old days, we were all delighted in the restaurant. And that last time when he sang here, words spread rapidly around town and who doesn't remember the _grand_ Lucien! So yes, I'm not surprised that we're fully booked tonight. Plus, he managed to get a full band to play for him!"

"Oh, what instruments?"

"A couple electric guitars, a bass guitar, a piano, drums, and a couple choirists. He managed to gather some of them from the good old days as well!"

"Oh, brilliant! Though that's curious, I thought he'd sing some jazz but the instruments don't really match..."

Étienne smirked.

"Wait Étienne, you were there during rehearsals, you know whot he's gonna sing!"

"Yes but he asked me to not say anything to you, I'm sorry..."

"That's unfair! Why am I the only one not knowing!?"

"Because he wants to surprise you! Come on, Mundy... I'm sure you'll be extremely suprised and pleased! He worked very hard the past few weeks. I'd often hear him shout at the choirists angrily! Ah, we are back with the good old Lulu, the perfect perfectionist, with everything it would entail... the drama! the shouts! the fits of anger! Ah, I missed him... Plus we got the red curtains back for the occasion!"

Mundy looked at Étienne, he could see the bittersweet feeling of nostalgia in his face and eyes...

"Can I tell you something Mundy? And please, don't repeat it to Lulu..."

"O'course, yeah."

Étienne put his hands on the back of the seat in front of Mundy and bent over to get closer to Mundy. He looked over his shoulders to make sure noone else was listening.

"I've noticed something with him. The more in love he is, the better he sings. And I've never seen him sing like he did in the past few rehearsals..."

Mundy blushed.

"Thanks mate."

Étienne raised his index finger and starighten his back up.

"With that being said, it's now also in _my_ interest that you treat our Lulu in the best fashion, Mundy!"

Étienne smiled and winked. Mundy laughed.

"Don't worry, I'm doin' my absolute best with that!"

"Good, now let me go, there's plenty of work to be done! Enjoy!"

"Merci!"

Mundy waited patiently among the other customers roomside, while backstage, Lucien was getting ready...

"Gentlemen, you know what you need to do. Remember what we agreed on during rehearsals!"

"Yes, Lucien, we know, it will be fine..."

"I won't tolerate it if it's just _fine_. We need this show to be _perfect_!"

He adjusted his white satin bowtie in front of the mirror. He looked at himself in the mirror from the bottom to the top. His shoes were dark red leather and shone brightly under the light. He was wearing a white suit with a dark red shirt. He had also got a haircut for the occasion, shorter on the sides and longer at the top with a longer tuft at the front. Everything was back as it was a few decades before apart from the age on his skin and on his hair, especially on the sides and at the front, on that tuft. He took the dark red velvet gloves on the table and put them on delicately.

"Everone knows the order of the songs? Pascal, you start on my nod, remember?"

"Oui, Lucien, stop being so anxious!"

"I'm not anxious, I'm strict! Pascal, you should know, you played with me before!"

"Yes and yet never have I seen you _that_ strict!"

Lucien sighed.

"My apologies if it is annoying _mon ami_ but I really want this one show to be perfect."

Pascal, the pianist, put his hand on Lucien's shoulder.

"And it will be. You've seen how hard we worked for it. It will be amazing, better than anything we presented before. This is Lulu's comeback, come on! The whole neighbourhood if not the whole of Paris is here, look, come here..."

Pascal took Lucien next to the curtains and opened it slightly. Lucien's jaw dropped. The room had never looked so full. The seats were all occupied and the bar area was crowded.

"See? I told you! And some of those faces I'm sure you recognised from the old days! Now come on, breathe, you can rely on us, we _will absolutely smash it!"_

"Merci Pascal..."

"Now, the clock is ticking and it's our turn to shine... Jean, to the bass! Come on gentlemen!"

Jean winked at Lucien who smiled, grabbed his white fedora hat from the nearby table and put it on. He walked elegantly to the microphone, behind the thick red cloth of the curtains. He was at the front of the stage, slightly to the left. He knew Mundy would be at the right, in the back corner, he told Étienne to make sure that he'd sit there. He cleared his throat and raised his thumb up for the sound to be turned on on all the musical instruments. The piano was at his right, quite far from him. At the back in the middle was George on the drums, behind Lucien slightly to the left where the 3 choirists and even behind them, at the middle of the stage, the 2 guitar players and Jean. Everyone was ready.

_Here we go. Hopefully you will like it, Mundy._

He nodded and the piano started playing. In a matter of instants, the discussions stopped in the restaurant and everyone went silent to listen. Half the curtain opened slowly, that was the right half. People applauded the pianist and the musicians they could see while Lucien and the choirists where still hidden behind the left part of the curtain.

_"Love of my life, you've hurt me..."_

The left curtain started rolling...

_"You've broken my heart and now you leave me_

_Love of my life, can't you see?_

_Bring it back, bring it back_

_Don't take it away from me, because you don't know_

_What it means to me..."_

Mundy's jaw dropped as the curtain slowly revealed Lucien in his white suit.

_Bloody hell..._

Lucien went on playing until the instrumemntal bridge...

"Ladies and gentlemen, I am delighted to be back tonight with the band..."

He could not finish his sentence as people applauded and cheered loudly.

"You all recognised Jean at the bass guitar... Pascal at the chords here on the lovely piano..."

Mundy's pupils were now the size of Jupiter (at least). He was feasting his eyes on his lover. He looked absolutely magnificent. Mundy had put his elbows on the table and was resting his head on his hands.

Lucien and the band finished playing the first song and people applauded loudly again, giving a standing ovation. Lucien bowed elegantly.

Mundy's eyes were half closed, pupils dilated, as he felt butterflies in his stomach and wore a smile without even realising it. For once, he had a lover who loved him back as much as he did. For once, he did not feel ashamed to love a man. He felt proud...

"I would like to dedicate this next song to that special person. That person you meet and you _know_ that's it. You know you've found what you've been looking for without even knowing you were looking for them! Now, funny story, ladies and gentlemen, we've been working together for years... And to be fair, we were quite the killer duo!"

People laughed in the room, not knowing that that sentence had to be understood quite literally. Mundy smiled, he was melting on his chair...

"Ah, those were the days..."

The drums were playing a soothing jazz rythm whith the bass while the guitars and piano were reacting to Lucien's speech and the crowd's laughs, ahs and ohs.

"Those were the days that I, for one, didn't realise we were made for each other... My lover did know, maybe, they wanted something more than that... But boy was I blind!"

The crowd laughed again.

"Ah, mon amour... This song is for you..."

The jazz tune stopped. There were a few seconds of silence before Lucien nodded and the piano started playing again, alone for the intro.

_[note for the reader: the song is Good old fashioned lover by Queen if you want to listen to it while reading]_

_" I can dim the lights and sing a song_

_Full of sad things_

_We can do the tango just for two_

_I can serenade and gently play on your heart strings_

_Be your Valentino just for you"_

The drums kicked in and the choirists joined Lucien who stook the mic off its stand and starting walking to the piano as he sang.

_"Ooh love ooh loverboy_

_What're you doin' tonight, hey boy_

_Set my alarm, turn on my charm_

_That's because I'm a good old-fashioned lover boy"_

Lucien turned around quickly and threw his hat which landed perfectly on the mic stand. He walked to the front of the stage and grabbed the air infront of him, in direction of Mundy, clenching his extended fist...

" _Ooh let me feel your heartbeat (grow faster, faster)_ "

He put his clenched fist on his heart.

_"Ooh ooh can you feel my love heat, ooh_

_Come on and sit on my hot-seat of love_

_And tell me how do you feel right after-all_

_I_ _'d like for you and I to go romancing_

_Say the word,_

_your wish is my command!"_

Mundy was on another planet. The world around him could end right now, he wouldn't care. He could only see Lucien singing to him, _for him._

" _Ooh love ooh loverboy_

_What're you doin' tonight, hey boy_

_Write my letter_

_F_ _eel much better_

_And use my fancy patter on the telephone!"_

The bass, guitars and drums went silent. Only the piano and voices could be heard for this.

_"When I'm not with you_

_I think of you always_

( _I_ _miss those long hot summer nights) I miss you_

_When I'm not with you_

_Think of me always_

_Love you, love you!"_

And back with the rock ballad! The choirists went:

" _Hey boy, where did you get it from?_

_Hey boy, where did you go?"_

Lucien, standing proudly at the front of the stage, in the middle extended his arm and swiped from left to right, stopping at Mundy's direction and winking, he sang:

" _I learned my passion in the good old fashioned school of lover boys!"_

Mundy had tears in his eyes. He felt his eyes go warm and his lips tremble slightly as the song soon ended. Again, people stood up to applaud. Mundy wanted to push his chair behind him and standup to join the crowd but, well, he feared people could see _the effect Lucien has on him_. He wiped his eyes and applauded loudly. Some people from the bar area whistled loudly, Mundy put his fingers in his mouth and joined in the concert of cheering and whistling. Lucien and the musicians bowed before their audience.

"Thank you, thank you my friends, now, I'll leave the stage for the band to entertain you. I will come back next Saturday evening for a new show. Thank you very much!"

People cheered again as Lucien bowed a couple times and went round the stage shaking hands with the members of the band. He then disappeared backstage.

A few minutes later he appeared, still in his suit but he got rid of the bowtie and opened the first buttons of his shirt.

"Ah, here you are!"

"My Mundy..."

Lucien pulled the chair in front of his lover and sat down.

"That was brilliant, luv', absolutely smashin'!"

Lucien poured Mundy and him some water from the glass bottle and drank a bit before answering.

"Glad you liked it."

"I didn't just like it, I... I don't have the words to say it..."

"Even in English?"

"Yeah, even in English..."

Lucien smirked. He took a cigarette out and lit it.

"Though... ok, there is a way to make you understand how much it blew my mind..."

Lucien raised an eyebrow.

"Ahem... I... erm..."

"You can tell me everything Mundy."

Mundy raised his eyes to meet Lucien's. He was red as a tomato.

"Let's say I couldn't stand up when you finished singing..."

"Your legs gave up? Woah, that's quite strong!"

"Not my legs... and it did the opposite of giving up..."

Lucien frowned suddenly he understood.

"Ah, I see..."

"Sorry mate..."

"What? Non! Why are you apologising?"

"It's not exactly... elegant..."

Lucien looked up at Mundy's eyes. He slid his velvet hand on the table and Mundy felt the velvet between his fingers. Lucien looked left and right, saw that everyone was busy chatting or eating. In any case, they were quite isolated from the rest of the room so he could say it out loud...

"Mundy, turning you on is the best effect I could have on you and if I did, I am more than proud."

Mundy was torn between feeling delighted and, because if his shy nature, wanting to be but an ant in the room, too tiny to be seen by anyone.

"Don't be so shy. You don't have to be. You're safe here and you're with me. You can say what you truly feel safely."

Mundy lowered his head and looked at the tablecloth. Lucien suddenly felt the grip of Mundy's fingers on his.

"You..."

Lucien felt his lover needed some help to get it out. He got closer and slid his other velvet gloved hand underneath Mundy's. He could feel the tension in Mundy in the slight shaking of his fingers. He could only imagine the war that was going on in his lover's mind and heart.

"If you don't want to say anything or you can't, it's fine. You don't have t-"

"I want you."

Lucien's eyebrows jumped and the grip from Mundy's fingers hardened even more.

"I... I want you... and I want you to be with me all the time... Please... Please never leave me."

Lucien felt it. This was not just Mundy saying he loved him. This was something else. The accumulated despair of decades and decades of rejection from others and maybe even the hate he once felt against his own self for that one reason: he loved men. But those words... He was liberating himself from himself and God only knows how brave one has to be to do that and how painful it is.

Mundy was once again putting himself out to try and be with someone. Once again he had the mad hope that this time, _this time,_ it would be different. This time, the man in whose hand he put his heart won't thow it away. This time he was truly going to be at peace. This time-

"Mundy."

He couldn't raise his head to meet his lover's eyes. His whole body was tense and clenched, slightly trembling, from his legs to his teeth. His ears were boiling hot and his mouth was dry.

"Mundy, look at me please."

He couldn't.

"I can't say what I will say if I don't look in your eyes."

Mundy, still tense, slowly raised his head, fighting the invisible force that was pushing his head down.

"I love you Mundy..."

Now, Mundy could feel Lucien's hand clench on his.

"... I will always be next to you, for you. I will never leave you. If I have to fight for you, if I have to lose all I have for you, I will. To hell with everything, I only want you and I only need you in my life."

Mundy's body was trembling more.

_Come on Mundy, you can free yourself from all that tension and pressure you always constrain your body to... Come on, you can do it..._ Lucien was thinking, while staring deep in Mundy's eyes. And then he got an idea.

"Mundy can you get up?"

Mundy nodded slightly, still blocked.

"Alright, get up and follow me."

Lucien took Mundy's hand and dragged him backstage, to that same room where they spent their first night together. He opened the door, pushed Mundy in and locked the door behind him. He threw his vest away, landing on the floor. He then took Mundy to sit on the sofa and made him sit down and lean on him. He put his arms around Mundy firmly and rocked him slowly left and right.

"Go on now, Mundy, it's only you and I."

_How did he guess?_ Thought Mundy. _How does he manage to understand me that well?_

Mundy burst out crying. Lucien put a hand on Mundy's head and pressed it on his chest while still rocking.

"Let it all go mon amour, you're with me now... You found me... That's it now for you..."

Mundy sobbed heavily, Lucien continued absorbing the tears and the outburst of repressed sadness and frustration.

"You are with me... I'm never leaving you... It's over now..."

Mundy clung to Lucien's shirt and cried more.

"I'm saying all this in English for you to understand my words as best as possible... My love, I will take care of you, always..."

Mundy sniffed a couple times and stopped sobbing heavily. He still had his eyes closed and head against Lucien's chest.

"Mundy, you are the person I had no idea I was looking for... I will _never_ leave you... I will always be with you, _always..._ "

Mundy felt tired. He was breathing heavily against Lucien's chest.

"That's it... Breathe my love... Take your time..."

"Sorry... about... that..."

"Non, don't apologise. You need to express these feelings, and if you can't say it with words but you prefer cries, then cry. Cry as much as you much. Cry an ocean if that makes you feel better, because at the end of the day I want you to be happy. And I will do anything, you hear me? _Anything!_ To make you happy."

"Thanks Lu'..."

"You are very welcome... And don't worry, I understand what these cries mean. I got it."

Tears streamed from Mundy's eyes, silent ones. But this time, Lucien saw in the reflection from the mirror opposite them that Mundy was smiling under the tears. He was happy that finally, _bloody finally,_ someone understood.

He sniffed some more before opening his red eyes. He pushed Lucien slightly sit straight. Lucien got off the couch and got some tissues. He came back to the couch and handed them to Mundy. He took them and wiped his tears, his nose and his eyes. After a couple minutes, when he was done, Mundy took a deep breath.

"Thank you Lucien, really."

"As I said, you're more than welcome."

"And sorry for all this... I'm sorry to make you go through all this..."

"I already said. Don't apologise. It's only natural..."

"And sorry about your shirt..."

Lucien looked in the mirror, the shirt was soaking wet on the chest due to Mundy's tears.

"Bah, it's only a custom taylored shirt, who cares..."

For a second Mundy thought Lucien was ironic. He remembered how strict he could be with his clothes back in the Mann Co. days.

"I'm serious Mundy, I couldn't care less about this shirt or any other thing. If it takes you to wet my shirt with your tears to feel good, then please destroy all my shirts and all my clothes with your tears."

Mundy smiled.

"That's what I want to see."

Mundy got off the couch and taking Lucien's hands in his, he lifted him off the couch. He then pulled him close to him and rested his forehead on Lucien's.

"Thank you... You're the only one who understands me... it's very odd..."

"I am happy then, my love."

They clung to each other for a long moment...

_**\-- Author's notes --** _

Man, when inspiration knocks at the door...

Thanks for reading and let me know what you think of this one please!

I loved writing it, it nearly put me in tears which has never happened before!!

See y'all around for next chapter!


	11. Chapter 11

\- _The day after, Lucien's flat -_

Mundy opened his eyes slowly, slowly realising that daylight was shining in the room. A familiar smell tickled his nostrils.

"You smokin' already?"

"What was I supposed to do? This time it's you who are sleeping on me."

Mundy then felt Lucien's fingers in his hair, massaging slowly.

"Besides, I'm not going to lie, I feel comfortable being your pillow..."

"Ah. Good, cause I have no plan to leave your chest..."

Lucien smiled. Mundy put his hand on Lucien's chest next to his head and started to stroke him.

"...cause your head massage is too good."

"Glad you like it, I've been running my hand in your hair for quite some time, I'm surprised you didn't wake up earlier because of it..."

Lucien puffed some smoke.

"...speaking of, how do you find my haircut? Do you like it?"

"Yeah, it's alroight."

"Just 'alroight'?" Repeated Lucien, imitating Mundy's accent.

"Why, yeah, what do you want me to say?"

"Would you prefer it any other way?"

"It's _your_ hair, Lu', you cut it the way _you_ want!"

"But I would like my hair to please _you_ , Mundy. So tell me."

"I like it no matter the cut. When it's short like what you have right now, it gives you a very elegant silhouette, it suits you really nicely. Though when it's longer and it starts to curl on your temples, I like it too, I would lose my fingers running through your silky hair..."

Lucien raised an eyebrow.

"Quite the poet you are today Mundy!"

"Ah, sorry, I might've sounded ridiculous..."

"Non, not at all, please, say what you want. I did not know you had that poetic side to you, that's all."

"Are you disappointed?"

"Not at all! On the contrary! I love it!"

Mundy smiled proudly.

"Oh, have you been up long?"

"An hour or so."

"Oh. Is everythin' ok?"

"Oui, oui. I've been thinking."

"What about?"

"Us. You and me."

"What about us?"

Lucien did not want to say it bluntly, knowing how delicate Mundy can be. He had to take precautions. For now lying would do.

"Bah, nothing in particular, nothing important."

"Oh, ok... Did you sleep well though?"

"Oui, I did. What about you?"

"Well, apart from your snoring, it was all fine..."

Mundy was lying just to provoke Lucien. It did not fail.

"What?! I do not snore at all! You can barely hear me when I breathe! In fact if I wanted, you wouldn't be able to hear me at all!"

"Whot?!"

"Remember, I've been a spy for decades so being undetected for me is like shooting heads from far away for you!"

"Ah, fair enough... You still snore though..."

"That is not true!"

"How d'you know, you can't hear yourself now can you?"

"No but...! Erm... People have told me in the past..."

Lucien's tone of voice changed. He was uncomfortable.

"Oh, sorry if I went too far with the joke..."

"Bah, it's ok. You might as well know everything. If I don't tell you, then whom?"

He put the cigarette in the ashtray on the nightstand. Still running his fingers in Mundy's hair, he started speaking again.

"Well, when I was younger, much younger, back in the restaurant years... Well back then, I wouldn't keep a partner for long. Most of the time I would only spend one night with them. How many times that happened? Ha, I can't even remember all of them... I would... well... do my business... and then fake sleeping until they fall asleep, at which point I'd disappear. And before you ask, yes, some were already married but I didn't care. I knew I could get myself out of any situations. Or so I thought. I would only do it because I liked the beauty of women. And back then I couldn't resist a good flirt. Well I guess now, it's still partially true..."

"Whot d'you mean?"

"I still can't resist a good flirt but..."

He raised his index finger.

"... only with you. It's quite strange. Before meeting you, any lady would be a potential partner. Even in the streets, I'd wink at some of them, they'd turn red and their companion would stare at me angrily, hahaha..."

He sighed.

"But now it's all changed. I couldn't care less about any of them. Ladies or men. You're the only man I've ever loved and I ever will. I've never felt attracted to men before... Anyway, I'm getting lost here. My point is that yes, none of these ladies I spent a night with ever realised that I'd left. Some I'd never see again! I guess that unlike me, they felt shameful after spending a night together. So yes, I know for a thing I don't snore!"

Mundy smiled.

"Roight, roight, sorry for provoking the silent panther there!"

Lucien smirked. Mundy breathed deeply.

"I guess I'm gonna go take a shower. D'you wanna go first or shall I?"

"Please, go ahead, I'll take one after you, Mundy."

"Okay."

Mundy lifted himself off of Lucien's chest, grabbed a pair of pants and headed to the bathroom. He closed the door and Mundy started the shower. What he didn't know is that Lucien intended to prove to his lover that indeed, he could be invisible and undetected if he wanted. Hearing the water run, Lucien waited. He then heard Mundy whistling. He smirked.

_Time to shine!_

He got off the bed ever so delicately, sliding to the bed's edge. His legs flowed to the ground and his feet landed on the floor like a cat. He went to his vest and grabbed his cigarette case. With only a couple steps, he was in front of the bathroom door. He opened the cigarette case and took a couple pins. Again, the bathroom door unlocked easily and the clicking sound was faint. In any case, Mundy wouldn't hear it on top of the noise the shower was making. Lucien pushed the door delicately and closed it back behind him. Mundy was showering facing the wall so Lucien had no trouble slightly moving the shower curtain and sliding in the shower behind him.

"Have I snored now?"

Mundy got startled and shouted in surprise.

"What the bloody hell you think you're doing?!"

"Well, now you will remember that I'm _deadly_ silent if I want to."

"My Goodness, Lu'! You scared the hell out of me!"

Mundy put a hand on his chest and breathed heavily.

"I apologise mon amour, that was not my intention..."

He put his arms around Mundy's waist.

"...But since I'm here I might as well take my shower with you?"

Mundy exhaled and smiled.

"That's what you wanted right from the start, innit?"

Lucien smirked and nodded.

"When I asked you if you wanted to go shower first, you knew you were gonna let me go first and then join me, right?"

Lucien nodded again.

"What can I say? I love you too much!"

The two lovebirds showered together. A couple minutes later, Lucien exited the shower and left Mundy to finish. He slipped into a dark blue dressing gown and started making breakfast.

A couple minutes later, Mundy joined him in the kitchen. He wrapped his arms around Lucien's waist, from behind, and rested his chin on his shoulder.

"Ah, there he is, Monsieur finally finished showering."

Lucien was pouring coffee in two cups.

"Do you mind taking these to the table mon amour? I'll just grab the sugar. The toasts and butter are already there."

Mundy answered by kissing Lucien's cheek. He grabbed the mugs and sat down at the table. He started sipping his coffee and grabbed the newspaper that was on the table. He opened it and spread it on the table next to his coffee. Lucien came and sat on his lap.

"Oh."

"I've been your pillow last night, you can be my chair for breakfast!"

Mundy wrapped his right arm around Lucien.

"I guess so, yeah."

They both took a sip of their coffee.

"So, got any plans today?"

"Oui, I need to choose some songs for next week's show and see the band to discuss it with them."

"Oh, so you're the one choosing?"

"It depends... For yesterday, yes. I chose the songs because... well, I wanted to sing for you..."

"Ah, thanks, luv'."

"But most the time we all choose a couple songs, we gather and discuss them. In the end, we select those which suit us best."

"Alroight, I see."

"So yes, I have to make a list of all the songs I can and want to sing."

"Hmm... Can I make suggestions?"

"But of course!"

"Roight, before telling you, I need to go to my flat get some'in. Is that okay with you?"

"Sure, but let's finish breakfast first."

"Yeah."

"What about you mon amour? Any plans?"

Mundy grabbed a toast and started spreading butter.

"Well, gotta go to the birds. The ladies have been fairly quiet lately, not leaving their nests, which means only one thing..."

"Oh?"

"They are brooding."

"They are what?"

"Brooding, sitting on eggs if you prefer."

Mundy got the toast closer to his mouth and was about to bite went Lucien leaped in and it it first.

"Oi!"

Lucien chewed loudly.

"Om, nom, nom... What are you going to do? Run far away and shoot me in the head?"

Mundy raised his eyebrows and pressed his lips as in a pout. He waited for Lucien to finish swallowing and...

"Mmh!"

That time it was Mundy who leapt and not on the toast, but on Lucien's lips. He bent him over as far as he could while supporting the back of his neck with his right hand. Lucien wrapped his arms around Mundy neck to not fall back. Mundy straightened his back again and broke the kiss.

"Well, remind me to bite your toast more often if it eventually tastes like your lips, mon amour..."

Mundy smiled and blushed.

"Now, Mundy, where were we? Oh, you're expecting baby birds!"

"Not me! At best I'm their uncle, at worse, the bloke who makes sure the family doesn't starve!"

"Oh, come on, Mundy, that's excellent news!"

"Yeah, I'm quite excited to! But that means no trainin' for the ladies. I have to check who's broodin' and who's not to see who I should leave alone. I also have to make sure that they have enough to eat and drink even overnight. They tend to never leave their eggs. On the very few occasions they do, they'll be looking for food and eating lots to sit back on the eggs for as long as they can. So yeah, food management will be a bit different now."

"I see..."

Lucien finished his cup of coffee.

"Then I guess I will see you this afternoon?"

"Yeah, I should be back at around 6.30pm maybe even 45, rush hour can be terrible in the metro..."

"Alright."

Lucien left Mundy's lap and headed to the bedroom to get changed.

"Lu'?"

Lucien stopped walking and turned to Mundy.

"I might have somethin' to show you this afternoon."

"Oh?"

"You might want to call it a surprise."

Lucien's face brightened.

"Ah!"

Mundy smiled.

_This time, let ME be the surprise my dear Lucien..._

_**\-- Author's notes --** _

Thanks! You might think the end is cut a bit brutally, apologies for this, the chapter was originally suoer long and I cut it in 2 between chapter 11 and 12, that's why

Good news is, Chapter 12 is more than half done!

As always, please let me know what you think with that chapter :D

See you very soon for Chapter 12!


	12. Chapter 12

\- _Later that day_ -

Mundy knocked at the door.

"Ah, Mundy, finally!"

Lucien opened the front door.

"Hey luv'."

Being shy and prude, Mundy made sure the door was closed behind him before kissing his lover.

"So, how are the birds?"

"They're fine, thanks."

Mundy got rid of his jacket and his hat and followed Lucien to the living room.

"As expected, they're brooding and I checked the eggs, they do contain babies."

"You're going to be the proud father of baby vultures and falcos!"

Mundy sat on the sofa next to Lucien and laughed.

"To some extent yeah I guess so! How did it go with your band? Did you agree on some songs?"

"Oui, mainly French classics..."

"You sound unhappy about that..."

"Well, I do love my classics but I think we're lacking something... something new... or different..."

"Can I suggest something?"

"But of course, I told you already, your suggestions are more than welcome."

"In that case, let me go to the bedroom first, I'll be right back."

Lucien nodded. He went to the kitchen and poured himself a glass of red wine. He came back to the sofa and waited for Mundy.

"Oh..."

He gasped.

Mundy entered the living room again, wearing a white silk shirt with a dark red vest and matching trousers. Around his neck, was tied his shining golden saxophone.

_MY time to shine, luv'!_

As he entered he started playing a very famous tune... Lucien put the glass of wine of the coffe table and leant back on the sofa, as if the first notes hit him like a train.

Mon Dieu, that's... That's Careless Whisper...

Lucien's jaw dropped.

_I had forgotten he used to play the saxophone._

Mundy clearly put a lot of effort and focus into his show. He was playing eyes closed, moving in rythm and seductively with his instrument. Lucien was taken aback and blown away by Mundy's performance. Mundy walked to Lucien and around the sofa, still playing, while Lucien followed him, turning around to always face him. Mundy pushed the coffee table with his leg to face Lucien. He was now playing in front of him and he soon finished.

"So... yeah... I thought that maybe... erm... I could play with you?"

"Mundy..."

Mundy put his intrument away and sat on the sofa next to Lucien whose stare was blocked in front of him.

"I mean ok, that suit isn't exactly modern or anything but I just wanted to show you a bit."

Lucien was still speechless.

"Lu'?"

"Oui, yes, sorry... Yes! Yes! Please, join us to play!"

"Well that took less convincing than I thought...!"

"But of course! Have you listened to yourself? I've rarely felt half the shivers you made me feel here, woah..."

Lucien breathed heavily for a second.

"You alroight?"

"I think so... You just... you took my breath away..."

"Oh... You looked surprised when I entered the room. But I used to play the saxophone even back in the Mann Co. days..."

"Oui, I had forgotten about that and in any case, I never paid much attention to your playing back then so I never realised... I never realised how good you are!"

Mundy blushed.

"Well, thank luv'... So yeah I was thinking about Careless Whisper for instance and also Beyond the Sea, that's a great classic I think!"

"Oh, funny you mention it, "Beyond the Sea" as you call it. It is translated from the French "La Mer" by Charles Trenet and I submitted the idea and we were going to play it..."

"Really? You mean to say that it's originally a French song?"

"Oui, absolutely, can you accompany me with the saxophone?"

Mundy nodded and equipped back with his instrument. He nodded again to say he was ready. Lucien cleared his throat.

" _La mer_ [The sea]

_Qu'on voit danser_ [That we see dancing]

_Le long des golfes clairs_ [At the clear bays]

_A des reflets d'argent_ ". [Has a silver shine]

Mundy found the right key only after a couple tries and started answering Lucien's lyrics. He focused on Lucien's voice to play with it and not on it. His eyes were locked on Lucien's lips while Lucien's were on his eyes, clicking his fingers and tapping his foot on the floor in rythm. Lucien wanted to test Mundy's abilities and find his limits. On his side, Mundy just aimed at respecting Lucien's musical space while filling his in the best manner. The chorus came and Lucien slowly stood up from the sofa, putting one hand on his chest and the other extended in front of him.

_Bugger..._

Mundy stood up, his eyes still on Lucien's lips to try and anticipate rather than adapt to Lucien's changing of style and suddenly...

_Ah! He changed the key! Alroight, I got this!_

Mundy changed and found the new one easily. Lucien smiled at Mundy who answered by playing a fast and sweet arpeggio. Lucien then nodded and extended his arm to Mundy who understood immediately.

_Solo time!_

Mundy improvised beautifully. Lucien bent on his knees and kept tapping his foot and clicking his fingers.

_Ah, Mundy, what a performance!_

He let his lover finish and resumed the singing for the last verse. In the end he applauded while Mundy caught his breath.

"Bravo Mundy! That was excellent!"

"Yeah well, the first few notes were far from perfect but the rest was ok I guess."

"You're too modest. Shall we try something faster?"

"Yeah, sure, what are you thinkin' about?"

"Let's be ambitious... You know 'Sing sing sing'?"

"Yeah, o'course! I know the sax bits but I think I can also improvise something to play the trombones and trumpet... Can you sing on that?"

"I'll think of something, don't worry!"

"Alroight then!"

Mundy licked his lips, took a deep breath and put the sax back to his lips. He tapped his foot a couple times and started the intro, trying to play. The intro went crescendo until Lucien picked it up and started singing.

He soon found himself dancing in front of Mundy while singing. Mundy joined him while still trying to not miss any notes which proved quite easy, surprisingly enough. To his surprise, Lucien was an incredible dancer! He had light feet and boy, how agile he is! There he was, his tie flying with him as he turned around, his feet hitting the floor in rythm as if he was tap dancing. That's when Mundy realised it.

_Gosh, that's it._

His fingers were playing on auto pilot for a minute as he was watching Lucien dance, jump and fly around in his suit jacket and trousers.

_I think that's it._

Lucien stopped dancing for a second to sing, still clicking his fingers in rythm and opening his arms wide.

_He was right._

He resumed his tap dancing elegantly, his arms going along with his feet in sync with Mundy's sax.

_I found him. Not any bloke. Him. I think..._

Lucien started singing again.

_I think I'm happy for good..._

Mundy's eyes turned red and filled with tears. He lowered his head, pretending to focus on his instrument to hide it. But the piece soon ended...

Lucien applauded loudly.

"Mon Dieu Mundy! It's been decades since I last enjoyed some music that way! Bravo! You are no doubt the best saxophone player I've ever had the pleasure to sing with!"

Mundy turned his back to Lucien and put his saxophone on the sofa.

"Thanks luv'."

Something in his tone was wrong. Lucien heard it and went to his lover, putting a hand on his shoulder from behind.

"Something's wrong? I admit my singing was not the best but I couldn't help dancing! I'm sorry, I'll honour your saxophone playing better... Mundy?"

Mundy was still standing up, his back to Lucien.

_I can't be crying all the time like that! What's wrong with me? Bloody hell!_

He felt Lucien's arm go around his waist as his voice went very soft.

"Mon amour, quelque chose ne va pas?"

[Something is wrong my love?]

Lucien put his cheek against Mundy's back.

"Parle-moi. Dis-moi tout."

[Talk to me, tell me everything.]

Mundy put his hands on Lucien's and stroked them for a while. He then turned around and hugged him.

"Pleure si tu veux. Je suis là pour toi."

[Cry if you want, I'm here for you.]

Silence. But soon Lucien heard his lover sniffing a couple times.

_I wish you could hear my thoughts._

"Mais je t'écoute, continue."

[But I am listening, continue.]

Mundy closed his eyes and thanked goodness his lover could understand him without even having to speak.

_Thank you, thank you for coming back that day after I patched your hand up._

"C'est moi qui devrais te remercier."

[I should be the one thanking you.]

_Thank you for coming back. I would have missed all this. I would have missed... being truly happy._

"Et tu m'aurais manquer à moi."

[And I would have missed you.]

Lucien put his hands on Mundy's cheeks and kissed his lips slowly. He then pulled Mundy's face so that their foreheads touched.

"You are so sensitive."

"I'm sorry, Lu'..."

"Don't be. I love you for who you are. I love that in you, and everything else."

Mundy put his hands on Lucien's pelvis.

"Nah, really, I've never seen myself cry that much..."

"Maybe that's why... You never really show your emotions, you never allow yourself to be happy or sad and here is the result of years, if not decades of frustration. Trust me, I know. You can try hiding as much as you want, you have to let it go somehow, at some point in time."

Mundy raised an eyebrow.

"Don't forget I was paid to lie more or less my whole life. I wasn't allowed to have emotions of my own. I had to be happy for a reason or sad for a reason. Never for myself."

"How did you cope?"

"That's a story for another day... But speaking of..."

Lucien sat down on the sofa.

"Sit down here, there is something I want to ask you."

Mundy obeyed.

"This is the thought that woke me up and kept me awake this morning. Mundy, I can't repeat it enough, I love you and want to spend as much of my life with you. And well..."

Lucien took Mundy's hand in his and looked him in the eye.

"We live 20 minutes from each other and I have more than enough space for 2 here... And if you don't like it here, we can always find somewhere else but... I would love for you to live with me."

Mundy's eyes opened wide.

"I would love to look around and see you as much as I see myself in this flat. I know we've known eachother for a quite short amount of time but... I made a promise to you: I will never leave you. And to that end, it would be better to have you here under my _-our_ roof... So, what do you think?"

Mundy stayed silent for a second.

"If you think it is too early, I understand. I may be rushing things here..."

Lucien half smiled from the corner of his lips.

"...I guess I just want you too much."

Mundy looked down on the ground and pondered for a couple seconds.

_It's a big step forward... I have to think for a second... Ah! Who am I fooling!? I love him and want to be with him all the time as well, it's only with him that I can be truly me... Goddamn the habit I've taken to be always scared of my own feelin's, now I will be happy if I want, without a second thought!_

Mundy tightened the grip on Lucien's hand.

"Alroight, I will move my things tomorrow."

"Vraiment?"

[Really?]

"Yeah, I mean, I'm already more or less living with you and... Of course I want to be with you all the time."

"Thank you so much!"

Lucien jumped on Mundy's lips, pushing him to lie on the sofa.

He soon broke the kiss. Mundy looked at Lucien's eyes, they were shining brightly as he was smiling. His own pupils dilated.

"Mundy..."

Lucien was on top of Mundy and saw his pupils dilate. He half whispered.

"I love you so much..."

Mundy half closed his eyes.

"... when you look at my eyes."

Mundy blushed.

"Well, I... I can't help it..."

Lucien smirked, he dived down and put his lips on Mundy's.

That evening, dinner was eaten very late.

_**\-- Author's notes --** _

Thanks for reading! Let me know what you think of that one! :)

Stay tuned for Chapter 13! :D


	13. Chapter 13

A couple weeks had passed and both men lived quite busily. Mundy was spending a lot of time with his birds, looking after the ladies and their eggs as well as rehearsing with Lucien and the band. Their first few shows were outstanding. The restaurant was always fully booked on show nights. Lucien got more and more enthusiastic about the rehearsals and the shows, he found himself liking it more than what he did back when he started.

However, they still shared a lot of time together and both made a lot of efforts to try and protect their evenings, in order to still have some time of their own. That evening, they had dinner and Mundy came out of the shower dressed in a pair of shorts and a tanktop. It was now mid-July and summer was well settled.

Mundy went to the kitchen and grabbed a salad bowl. He put some peaches, apricots and plums. He poured himself a glass of water and sat on the sofa. He switched the tv on. His eyes were on the screen but his mind was elsewhere. He ate a plum and drank his glass of water.

He was about to bite in an apricot when he remembered a conversation he had with Étienne a couple days before, as he arrived way too early for rehearsal and was waiting for Lucien.

"So how are you Mundy?"

"Ah, alroight, I'm alroight. You Étienne?"

"Ah, _ma foi,_ as usual. _La routine_ as we say in French! Do you want something while you wait? A drink? A snack?"

"A glass of water if you can, thanks."

Mundy was at the counter and Étienne was wiping some glasses. He filled one with water, added a couple ice cubes and a slice of lemon.

"Here you go."

"Cheers mate."

Étienne resumed his tasks but soon Mundy interrupted him again.

"Étienne, can I ask you something?"

Étienne raised an eyebrow.

"Sure, go ahead."

"You know Lucien better than I do and I think you're the only person who knows about us so I feel like I can only talk to you..."

"No problem at all, I'm listening."

"Well, I've been thinking about something. See, I think Lucien is... well... he's the _right_ bloke for me... You know what I'm sayin'?"

Étienne turned to put a couple cups back on the shelf behind him and nodded.

"Hmm. I see."

"So I thought I should introduce him to my family, in Australia."

Étienne froze.

"My parents have a farm. They have some chickens and geese, it's not much, but it's very different from Paris and the _bourgeoisie_ life that Lu' is used to... Wait, you alroight?"

Étienne lowered his head and turned again to face Mundy.

"Erm... Oui, oui, it's just that... I'm not surre if I should tell you that but erm..."

"Go ahead mate, I won't tell'im anythin'."

Étienne put the teatowel he had on his shoulder and walked around the counter. He took a stool and sat next to Mundy. He looked left and right and sighed.

"Well, you must know that when he was younger, he used to... _have his success with the ladies_... for lack of a better phrasing. Well, back then, one of the first ones he... well... _seduced_... She didn't see things like him. For him it was just yet another hunting trophy and to be honest, he could be proud, she was gorgeous. But then again so was he so... Anyway, she thought that he was the man of her life. So one night, Lulu was singing and as usual, after his show, he would have a table with the rest of the band and enjoy some refreshments. Usually, his "lady of the moment" would wait for him there so she was. I remember seeing him run out of the restaurant shortly after. I didn't understand so very late at night, on my way home, I decided to take another path and from the street I saw that the light in his flat was still on. Mundy, it was 3 or 4 o'clock in the morning..."

Mundy was listening carefully.

"So I went to his flat and gave a knock at the door. He opened the door and I found him in an appalling state. He was terrified. I remember our conversation:

'Is everything fine Lulu?'

'Is she following you? No?'

'No one is following me.'

'Come in, quick.'

He slammed the door behind me.

'What's wrong? I've never seen you so nervous!'

'Étienne, she brought her parents to the restaurant, she wanted me to meet them, she wants us to get married, she's talking of wedding and cake, and suit, and dress, and church and-'

'Calm down! What's the problem?'

'Come on Étienne you know me! I'm not a marriage-and-having-kids sort of a man! I don't want any of that!'

'Did you tell her?'

He looked devastated.

'Non... I didn't... I couldn't... I mean I just remembered running out of the restaurant to here... But I was so panicked, God only knows what I stuttered to them...'

I stayed with him that night until the sun was up. He thanked me and I went back home to the sound of the morning birds chirping... A couple days afterwards, just like you today, he came to see me early in the afternoon and he told me:

'I said no to her. I managed to explain myself. I said that even if she thinks I'm for her, I don't feel that way for her and above all, I can't settle with anyone. I love my freedom too much.'

'What did she say?'

'She shouted and cried and called me names... She was outraged... She said I had used her just for my personal enjoyment...'

'I think we won't see her around here anymore. She actually hasn't set foot here since that day...'

'Sorry to make you lose clients.'

'It's fine, we have more than enough to pay the bills and the staff. But what about you? Are you better now?'

'But of course! Sorry about that other night... I really panicked. The idea of settling with someone, having to care for them and having to meet and cope with their family _makes me sick_.' ..."

Mundy lowered his head.

"I see..."

"That was more than 20 years ago so chances are he changed his mind... I mean I'm sure he did because you live more or less together which rarely happened for him. But yes, if I may give you a word of advice, be prepared for anything when you talk to him about that."

That conversation resonated in Mundy's head until the noise of the door opening broke his train of thoughts.

"Ah, mon amour, you're early today!"

"Yeah, well the birds were seen by the vet yesterday and they're fine so I reckoned I could go back home a bit earlier today... What about you, had a good day? Wait, did you run back home? Is everything alright?"

Lucien had indeed been running but did not want to tell Mundy why.

"Oui, merci, I did. Yes I did run but don't worry, it's all fine."

Lucien threw his coat and hat on the coathanger and sat down next to Mundy on the sofa. He took an apricot from the salad bowl.

"I helped Pascal, he needed a hand to move his son's belongings. He is leaving for Lyon so Pascal had to load a truck with everything: boxes, suitcases, even some furniture..."

"Ah, nice."

"Well, oui, but I feel like my back is going to make me complain tomorrow! All these heavy boxes to carry will no doubt have their consequences... You'll see when you get to my age!"

"Erm... Lu', can we talk for a bit?"

"Are we already not?"

"Yeah, I s'ppose but erm..."

"No worries, mon amour, tell me, what is it?"

Words jangled and mingled in Mundy's mind. How to word that...?

"Erm... I... Erm... Let's switch that bloody tv off first."

He grabbed the remote and pressed the top red button. He threw the remote on the armchair and took a deep breath.

"I got thinkin' and erm... I think... I think I'll tell my family that I have found someone."

Lucien raised an eyebrow.

"Oh..."

"Yeah, I'll try and not tell them that you're a man straight away... But erm... yeah..."

Lucien frowned. He looked thoughtful. Mundy's eyes followed the apricot's seed in the air as Lucien threw it elegantly in his empty glass, on the coffee table.

"I guess I just wanted to let you know... To see if that's ok with you..."

Lucien bent over and put his elbows on his knees. He opened his hand and stuck them flat on each other in front of his face. He looked deep in thoughts.

"If you don't want that, I... I mean I don't know... On one hand we could go on as we are but I feel like you're the one for me. And I'd love to finally bring someone home and it's not even _any_ someone... It's you."

Lucien turned to face Mundy.

"I don't know if that's the best thing to do, Mundy."

Mundy's heartbeat accelerated.

"Whot d'you mean?"

"Nothing more than what I just said. I don't know if that will help us, or even help _you_..."

Mundy was petrified.

"You... But..."

_Bloody hell._

In his panic, Mundy thought that he should tell everything to Lucien.

"Look Lu', I'd love you to meet my parents. We're a simple family, they have a farm and live in the Outback so yeah, it's bloody different from Paris... But it's important for me because... well... you're _it_... you... you..."

"Have you thought of the possible consequences?"

"I just assumed you'd say yes because, well, you said you felt the same thing for me than I for you so-"

"Of course I do say yes and of course I love you with all my being! I'm not talking about that! I'm talking about your parents' reaction!"

Mundy was confused.

"Whot?!"

"What ' _whot'_?"

"You agree to meet them?"

"Of course, I'd love to!"

"Oh goodness..."

Mundy sighed loudly.

"Fffoooo...! I thought you wouldn't!"

"Why? I'd love to meet your parents and tell them that they can stop worrying for you, _I_ am taking care of you now. Why did you think I'd refuse?"

Mundy's eyes shot to the ground and he bagan fiddling with his fingers. He didn't want to give Étienne away. What he didn't know is that Lucien already knew about that chat they had had. He remembered talking to Étienne earlier today.

"Lulu, can we have a word?"

"Sure, what is it?"

Étienne was as usual readying the restaurant for the night and Lucien had gone to say hello, after he had helped Pascal. Étienne took a stool and sat at the counter next to Lucien.

"It's Mundy."

"What about him?"

"We had a chat a couple days ago. He wants you to meet his parents in Australia, he says you're the one for him."

Lucien's jaw had dropped and he put a hand in front of his mouth. He felt honoured that Mundy was ready to do that as he could only imagine what courage it would take for him. Plus, that meant that Mundy's feelings for Lucien were more than sincere and deep.

"So I warned him that first time someone said that to you, you ran away and hid back at your place..."

Lucien's face changed from moved and surprised to outraged.

"You did what?!"

"Don't you remember that ni-"

"Of course I do! But not with him! Mon Dieu Étienne! You have no idea what you just did!"

Lucien took Étienne by his collar.

"When did you talk to him?! When?!"

Étienne was as shocked as he was scared. He knew Lucien could be fierce, _very much so_ and at that point, his face was a couple inches away from Étienne's. He was fuming with rage and anger, his teeth were shining brightly.

"Beginning of this week!"

"WHAT DAY ARE WE TODAY?"

"Friday!"

Lucien dropped Étienne's collar and ran out of the restaurant, grabbing his vest and hat. As he exited, he shouted.

"This chat is not finished Étienne! Believe me, we'll continue that chat!"

Lucien ran out the door, pushing it with his shoulder as he tried to put his vest on as quickly as possible. He kept the hat in his hand and ran towards his place. He was deep in thoughts.

_Merde, Étienne, what have you done!? Mundy was ready to finally admit to his parents that he preferred men, bringing me to his home! He was ready to face his major insecurity!_

Lucien shoved away some people on the pavement as he leapt forward.

_AND YOU THREW A DOUBT IN HIS HEAD LIKE A SEED!_ _He must have been thinking about it the whole week... How did I not notice?! Mon Dieu, I hope it's not too late, Mon Dieu, please, let it not be too late!_

That was the reason why Lucien came in the flat out of breath.

"How do you plan to do that?"

"If you're happy with it, I'd like us to fly to Australia. I'll introduce you as a friend and see how it goes..."

"As a friend?"

"Lu', my parents are old folks and they have no idea that I prefer men..."

"Alright, fair enough..."

"We can slip to my van to sleep together at night. I'll pretend to drive you somewhere nice and... erm... well... we just spend a couple nights under the stars..."

Mundy leant back on the sofa and looked at the ceiling as if it was a starry night.

"...with only the stars and their reflection in your eyes for lights..."

Lucien blushed slightly.

"Careful Mundy..."

Mundy jerked his head back straight and looked surprised.

"Whot?"

"You're being a poet again!"

"Ah, well, sorry..."

"I already told you, don't apologise..."

Lucien sat closer to him and put his index and thumb on Mundy's chin. He got closer still.

"... I love your romantic side."

Mundy blushed.

"Thanks luv'."

Lucien smiled, he removed his hand and sat back next to Mundy.

"So, when are we flying to Australia?"

"Oh, erm... I guess whenever you want? I mean, it would be good if we did it after the eggs hatched back in the zoo. It would give me some time to educate one of my colleagues to take care of the babies."

"Fine, after the eggs hatch and you make sure your babies are safe."

Mundy smiled.

"Thanks, luv', really."

Lucien rose from the couch.

"Right, I need a shower... Afterwards, we can watch a movie on the tv if you want?"

"Sure."

Lucien left for the bathroom. A couple minutes later, Mundy could hear the water run. He grabbed the remote from the armchair and switched the tv on. He was watching one of these series that were just made to kill time... He was deep into the episode when the phone rang. He got up and answered.

"Hullo?"

_Weird, the guy on the other end of the line speaks English._

"Erm... Mate you might be makin' a mistake here... Whot?... Yeah... Yeah it's his flat here but... You must be mistaken he can't be... _WHOT?!_ "

Mundy's jaw dropped. He opened very wide eyes and slowly hung up the phone. He looked in direction of the bathroom, still unable to breathe. The noise of the shower stopped and Lucien came out, wearing his silk red kimono with a white tanktop and matching red silk trousers. As he closed the bathroom door, Mundy appeared in front of him, took him by the collar and pinned him violently on the wall.

"When were you gonna tell me?!"

"What?! Ouch! Mundy!? What's wrong?!"

"WHEN?!"

"What the hell are you talking about!? Let me go!"

Mundy's grip was getting stronger.

"I was about to take you to my family! HOW COULD YOU NOT TELL ME?!"

_**\-- Author's notes --** _

Thanks for reading as always and please do let me know what you think of this chapter. It does make a huge difference for me :D

Cheers and see y'all for Chapter 14! :)


	14. Chapter 14

"WHY DID YOU NOT TELL ME?"

Mundy's voice resonated in his own head. He looked up from his coffee cup. It was the morning and he was sitting at a café. After what happened, he had left Lucien's flat.

He remembered the phone call.

"Hullo?"

"Hey, it's me, can I talk to you for a sec'? I really thought about what you said the other day and erm... I'm ok with meeting you."

_Strong American accent..._ _and young man's voice... I've heard that voice somewhere before..._

"Thing is, I'm in Boston with Ma' right now and she doesn't wanna hear anything about ya..."

_Boston?! Is that...?_

"Mate, you must be makin' a mistake here..."

"Is dat not the phone number for Lucien's place?"

"Yeah... Yeah it is but-"

The young man's voice interrupted him.

"A French dude, old, tall, slim, grey hair, super arrogant?"

_Bloody hell, it is... It's him... Out of all of us, why would he call Lu'...?_

"Yeah."

"Well, he's my Da' and I'd like to meet him. Can you please let him know that I'll be comin' to France in a couple weeks?"

"You must be mistaken, he can't be-"

"Yeah, I know, it's kind of a big deal eh, who woulda thought? And oh my God I was furious but eh, I asked Ma' and she confirmed..."

" _WHOT?!"_

"Yeah, he really is my Da', it's kinda unexpected and by the way you sou-"

Mundy had hung up on the young man.

_Did he just manipulate me? If I'm really the right person for him, he wouldn't have hidden something that big to me..._

Mundy looked around him. It was one of those mornings where the sun shone brightly and the sky was clear yet Mundy was blind to the summer vibes. His vision was completely tunelled down to one thing: Lucien's lie. He soon finished his coffee and started walking around town.

_If I go back to my flat, chances are I'll find him there, waiting for me on the doorstep... Or inside... I need to keep moving. That's the only way I can avoid him..._

He went to a public park and strolled there for a while. The park was maily empty as it was the morning still. Soon, Mundy found himself walking next to a thin strip of water. On his way along it, he met a few fishermen patiently waiting for the surface of the water to pull on their fishing rods. Mundy wished he had brought or bought some fishing gear. He loved fishing. He went next to one of the fishermen and asked.

"Do you mind if I sit next to you?"

The fisherman turned his head to see who was talking to him. Mundy realised he was quite old as the countless wrinkles on his face reflected the numerous pages of the life he had gone through.

"Sure, son."

His voice also contained years and years... of smoking no doubt as the sound of it was quite typical of heavy smokers.

"Thanks."

Mundy sat on the ground while the fisherman had his own foldable fabric chair.

"Like finshing, son?"

"Yeah, I do."

"It's peaceful eh?"

"Yeah."

The old man adjusted the hat on his head.

"It's going to be hell hot today. I can feel my throat drying... want a drink? I have some water here and some beer. "

"Well, beer will do fine, thanks."

The old man bent on his left side and opened a big bag. He got a bottle of beer and a bottle of water. He handed the beer to Mundy. The latter took his keys off his pocket as he carried a bottle opener on his keyring. The cap flew up and Mundy caught it mid air. He took a sip. The old man drank a bit of water. After that silence fell for a long moment. Mundy's eyes were locked on the old man's fishing rod's spoon lure.

_I don't get it... Why would he lie like that...? Oh, oh, I get it, I guess it's natural for a spook to lie about his feelin's... He even said it to me the other day... He had to feel the way he was told... So maybe, after he got dumped by his previous lady, he wanted a bit of some'in else... A bit of some'in new... And poof! I appeared in front of him, that was his chance!_

"So, what's bothering you son?"

Mundy opened his eyes wide as his train of thought broke under the old man's fragile voice.

"Sorry?"

"What's the matter with you?"

"What do you mean?"

"Well, it's early in the morning still and here you are, alone, in the middle of a park with an old man you don't know, drinking beer and fishing. Fishing is excellent for thinking... It gives you time... So what are you thinking about?"

Mundy sighed.

"Ah, I know that sigh... It's a lady, right?"

Mundy nodded. _Yeah, both as close and as far as we can get to a lady..._

"She left?"

Mundy shook his head.

"Ah, you left. But given that sigh you gave me, you didn't really want to leave her, eh? So I guess you left because she did something to you..."

Mundy nodded.

"Bah, cheer up. There's plenty of other ladies out there and you're a decent looking man, still very young."

Mundy took a sip of his beer and lowered his head while shaking it.

"Oh, we all think they're our everything until they screw up, boy... Or we screw up..."

The old man sniffed and coughed.

"Bah, you'll see, give yourself some time. It'll pass..."

"I don't think it will, sir..."

"And why is that?"

"We were living together... We were meant to meet my parent in a couple months..."

"Oh... What happened then?"

" _She_ was hiding that _she_ had a kid..."

"And you didn't know?"

"I had no idea... How was I to guess? _His_ son lives in America and we're here in Paris..."

He realised his used the wrong pronoun but got lucky as, in this case, in French "his" and "her" are the same. The old man drank a bit more water and coughed. He leant back.

"Tell me, son... Are you hurt because she hid the truth to you?"

"Yeah."

"But would you like to meet him, the son?"

Mundy removed his hat of his head and turned to look at the old man.

"Here's the irony of it all... I know her son, we've worked together for years, the three of us. I just had no idea... They hid it so well!"

"Ah. Would you nonetheless accept him as part of the family?"

Mundy frowned and sat cross-legged. He pondered for a while, while his eyes shot back to the spoon lure.

_That's a bloody good question you're askin' there, mate. Would I accept him in the family?_ _For Lu', I would accept anything, I just... I just want to be with him, I love him._

He lowered his head and looked at the grass between his legs. Among the straws of grass were a couple daisies here and there. He plucked one and looked at it.

_I just want him. I want Lucien, I love him, bloody hell!_

Tears came to his eyes. He wiped them with his sleeve.

_Why is it that when I think I'm so close to be happy, the spring shoots me back to he_ _ll and solitude_.

"So?"

"Yeah, yeah I would. To be honest..."

His voice cracked. He paused for a second and resumed.

"I just love him...I love him so much..."

Again, "him" and "her" sound the same but at this point, Mundy did not pay attention to grammar anymore. He felt the old man's hand on his shoulder. He lowered his head and let his tears stream. The old man's trembling hand patted his shoulder, to comfort Mundy.

"I'm sorry, sir... I'm spoiling your fishing. I should probably go."

"No, son, I can't let you go like that. Stay, please."

Mundy nodded.

"Thanks."

He got a handkerchief out of his pocket and blew his nose. The old man drank a bit more water and as usual, he coughed afterwards.

"Son, your lady, she did not live with her son?"

"No, she didn't."

"Why?"

Mundy dived back deep in thoughts.

_Wait, yeah, why? What did he say on the phone again? 'Ma' doesn't want to hear anything about you'...? So I guess there was something between Lu' and that lady... I guess he did something to her... But wait, when he started his phonecall, he said 'I'm ok for meeting you.' So Lu' was the one asking... And the kid didn't know. He didn't know who his dad was. That's why he said 'And oh my God I was furious but eh, I asked Ma' and she confirmed'... So the mum knew and Lu' as well but the kid didn't... And the mum kept it secret, it's Lu' himself who told him the truth... But wait, the only way Lu' could have told the kid is back in the Mann Co. days. Back then he was with that other lady, the French one. But why tell the kid only then and not before?_

"See, you don't know."

The old man's voice broke Mundy's thoughts again.

"You don't know why and yet, you left."

"What do you mean?"

"Son, if you really love her. If she really meant that much to you, you should not have left. You should have at least asked why. You kids think love is just something you feel in your guts... But no! Love is what you sacrifice for the both of you to go on. It's something you build and if some of it gets blown away, you both sit down, roll up your sleeve and build it again. Yes, you will both have to admit that you were wrong. She will have to apologise for hiding that from you but you will have to apologise as well."

The old man drank more water.

"Why would I? I wasn't the one lying!"

He coughed.

"Son, imagine the situation the other way around. You have a son but you choose to not tell the one you love and intend to meet their parents. Suddenly they discover your secret and leave out of the blue. What would you think?"

Mundy realised where the old man was going. He opened wide eyes and gasped, putting his hand in front of his wide open mouth.

"Bloody hell, I'd think that she was only there for... And not because she wanted to spend her life with me..."

"Yes, especially because you left _without trying to understand her._ If you left because you did not want to be with someone who already has a kid, then fair. But the message you conveyed now is 'I couldn't less about your explaination' which also means 'I'm not loving you to the point of trying to understand and help you'. And that, son, that means you don't love her as much as you say."

"Bloody hell..."

_This old man speaks a lot of sense... Bloody hell..._

"So, is it too late now? Have I lost her for good?"

"You've certainly made things difficult. But, if she really loves you, she will either wait for you to come back or actively look for you to try and put the pieces back together."

"What am I supposed to do then?"

"If I were you and I had a beautiful lady who wanted me, I wouldn't make her wait, especially if I want her too."

"So I should go?"

"You kids are funny, you definitely don't listen! Yes, go! What are you still doing here?!"

Mundy grabbed his hat off the grass and ran back to the park's gates yelling:

"Thanks old man! I'll find you again!"

_**\-- Author's notes --** _

Thanks for reading! Let me know what you thought of that one!

Stay tuned for Chapter 15! :D


	15. Chapter 15

_Merde, what happened?!_

Lucien was still petrified. He put his hand on his throat.

_He really strangled me! But why?!_

He went to the bedroom and dressed up. As he was putting his tie around his neck, the phone rang. He went to answer, hoping it would be Mundy.

"Oui allo?"

"Hey Lucien, is that you now?"

Lucien recognised the young man's voice instantly.

"Oui, Jérémy, it's me."

"Oh thank God, I called you a bit earlier today on that same number and the guy who picked up the phone was weird with me. By the way I thought you lived alone, you sharin' yo flat with someone?"

Lucien instantly put the pieces of the puzzle together. _Oh merde..._

"Jérémy, what exactly did you say to that man on the phone?"

"That I'll be comin' to Paris in a couple weeks! Excitin' eh? Yeah I thought about it a lot and I'm ok to meet you and like, chat for a bit..."

"Oh..."

Lucien's head was about to blow up. Now he had 2 situations to manage: first Jérémy finally agreed to meet him, he will have to get ready for him. On top of that, he had been unlucky enough for Mundy to hear it first...

_Surely Mundy recognised Jérémy's voice..._

"Well, I am glad you agreed. But tell me, Jérémy, did you tell this man you are my son?"

"Uhm.. Let me think... Did I? Oh yeah, yeah I did! I told'im you're my Da' and he sounded so surprised! Oh my God, you should've heard him-"

"Alright, thanks..."

He paused for a second, not knowing if he should ask about...

"... and... how is your mother by the way?"

"She's alright, she's fine. She doesn't wanna hear from you though... She doesn't really know I'm callin' you either, I'm calling from a phone outside home."

"I see. Well, in that case, I will see you in two weeks?"

"Yeah, the address is the same you gave me?"

"Oui, it hasn't changed."

"Cool, I'll see ya then, bye!"

"Goodbye."

Lucien hung the phone up.

_I get it now. Mundy thinks I lied to him about Jérémy._

He went to the kitchen and took a bottle of wine. He uncorked it and grabbed a glass. He went to the living room, put the bottle and the glass on the coffee table. He sat down on the sofa and started drinking.

_What an idiot I am... When I first talked to Jérémy and told him that I was his father, he refused to see me, he refused to meet. But I knew that, given some time, he would change his mind. I knew it and nonetheless said nothing to Mundy... What an idiot I am... What an idiot..._

He drank more of the dark red wine.

_Now he thinks I lied and of course, because of who or rather what I used to be, he thinks I did it on purpose. Merde! I didn't! I just hadn't anticipated that I would be with him when Jérémy finally makes up his mind! I just... I forgot about Jérémy!_

He drank more.

_Merde. I guess I pay for my mistake... And it had to happen at the worst of times, when Mundy was going to take me to his family... Merde!_

He looked at the bottle intensely.

_I need to think now. Either I go after him, taking the risk that he might not want to forgive me... Or I stay here and drown in wine._

He pondered.

_What are the odds that he forgives me. He is very strict on trust. I already almost lost him because I played the spy again. To hell with me! Why do I have to be like that? Is this what I am now? A failure as a spy and a failure as a man? Is this all that is me?_

He wanted to punch something, he clenched his right fist but then he felt it...

_My scars._

He unclenched his fist and opened his right hand in front of his eyes.

_"A lesson engraved in the flesh."_

Some scars had completely disappeared but the back of his hand still showed the trace of deep wounds he had inflicted to himself out of despair.

_Merde, I can't even let it go..._

He wanted to punch but could only grit his teeth.

"MERDE!"

His shouting bounced on the walls of the empty flat and resonated in his empty chest.

He put his elbows on his knees, bending forward, and put both his hands in his hair, as if he was about to pull his hair out of his very skull. He lowered his head and looked at the carpet on the floor.

_There I am again. Once again, I messed everything up. Once again I put myself in a predicament. Once again, I'm making myself suffer... But this time I dragged Mundy in it and made HIM sad with me... What a monster I am..._

"RAAAH!"

He swept his hands across the coffee table, sending the glass and the bottle flying. They shattered on ths floor and the carpet started to absorb the wine. A dark red stain grew on the rug as the smell of ethanol diffused in the air.

"Merde..."

_So what shall it be? Run after him or drown my sorrow in alcohol and break my other fist?_

He smiled out of despair, feeling his throat getting tighter and tighter, tears filling his eyes.

_Et merde! I love him! Who am I fooling? I need him!_

He leapt out of the sofa, grabbed a vest and a hat and ran outside. He ran on the pavement towards Mundy's flat.

_I can only find him there._

He ran and started breathing heavily, jumping between strangers and passer-bys. He shoved them aside, not apologising to any of them. There was only one person he owed an apology to, and that was Mundy.

He soon arrived and banged on the door.

"Mundy?! Mundy, please open and listen to me! Please Mundy!"

He panted and breathed heavily. He took a minute or so to calm his heart and his breath and stuck his ear on the door.

_Silence._

He put a hand in his inside pocket and got his cigarette case out. He opened it and took the usual pins out. In a matter of seconds, he was inside the flat. He walked directly to Mundy's room and slammed the door open.

"Mundy?!"

_No one._

"Merde!"

Without losing any more time, he ran back outside, making sure he'd lock the door back.

He walked on the street.

_Think, think, think, where can he be? Ah, of course he knew I'd come to his flat so he went somewhere I wouldn't be able to find him... The restaurant? The zoo? Non, he is too mad to take care of his birds... And if he went to the restaurant he'd have to explain everything to Étienne and given how that succeeded last time, he wouldn't do that... Where is he God damnit!?_

Lucien was walking without looking where he was going and then it struck him.

_I have no choice but to go there..._

He ran to another neighbourhood. This time, it was a much poorer and dirtier one. He looked at his watch.

_She should be up._

He walked through a dark alley to a cul-de-sac. He stopped in front of a wall and lit a cigarette. He strated smoking, looking at the graffiti on the wall in front of him.

"You look more and more like it."

Lucien turned his back and faced her. She was pointing at the graffiti on the wall with her cane.

"I don't think I do. He is supposed to be a good man."

She walked closer to Lucien.

"You have grown old."

She walked towards him and the sunlight revealed an old, hunchbacked lady. She was wearing ragged clothes and a washed out headscarf.

"So have you."

She hit him with her cane but he stopped the cane mid-swing.

"Your reflexes are still excellent."

"I had a good teacher."

"Why did you come to me?"

"Marie-France, I need help."

"I know. What is it you need?"

"I need to find a man."

"Look for him then."

"Yes but Paris is too big to just look for him blindly."

"Then open your eyes!"

"I tried but I can't!"

Lucien sighed.

"If I come to you, it is really because I have no other way of doing this."

"Come."

Marie-France turned her back and started walking in the alleys. Lucien followed her closely. They soon arrived in another cul-de-sac. She sat on a large crate and invited Lucien to sit next to her. A flock of pigeons gathered around her. She put a hand in her pocket and threw dry bread crumbs to them. She looked up at Lucien, in the eye.

"Now tell me who you're looking for."

"It's this man."

Lucien put a hand in his inner vest pocket and got a picture out. He showed it to Marie-France. She took it and looked at it closely, frowning.

"Decent looking fellow you're looking for..."

"I need to talk to him, the sooner, the better."

"Ah, what did you do this time, Lulu?"

Lucien opened wide eyes.

"What?"

"I know why you look for him. I am a bit surprised but it is fine, whatever floats your boat. I just want to know what you did wrong this time."

Lucien blushed out of shame.

"Don't be ashamed, there is nothing to be ashamed of. See that picture, you kept it in your left vest pocket. The only things I've ever seen you keep on your left are pictures of your lover. Plus, when I said he was good looking, you blushed."

"I... I..."

"Come on, be a man and spit it out!"

He took a deep breath.

"I didn't tell him I have a son and he discovered it. He thinks I lied to him on purpose."

"Did you?"

"Non, of course not!"

"Ah."

She paused.

"So you made a mistake and you want _me_ to help you repair it?"

Lucien lowered his head and kept silent.

"What have I taught you...?"

Lucien, head still low, replied.

"That if I look for someone, I've got to think like them."

"Not that!"

She hit him with her cane. This time he hadn't seen him coming.

"Ouch!"

"I've raised you for years, come on! What did I teach you about loved ones, mmh?"

"I don't know!"

"Do you ever listen?"

"I do! But you taught me so many things!"

"Think!"

She hit him again.

"Ouch! What was that for?!"

"To move the two brain cells you have in there!"

She paused for a minute.

"I taught you to always speak the truth to the one you want to be with."

"Well I failed."

"Yes you did... Now, tell me, why do you look for him?"

"To ask for forgiveness."

"Is that it?"

"Well that's a start."

"Lulu... Don't avoid my question. Why do you look for him?"

"You know very well why!"

"Yes, but you have to say it. Be clear about it, stop hiding things to me and to yourself. Now answer!"

She hit him on his arm.

"Ouch!"

"Why do you look for him?!"

Raising his head, he shouted:

" _BECAUSE I LOVE HIM!"_

The flock of pigeons took flight, scared by the shouting. Lucien's voice echoed like a lion roar in the dark, dirty cul-de-sac. Hearing his own voice so loud shut him up. He turned his head and looked at Marie-France. She was smirking.

"He's running to your door as we speak."

"Wha-why didn't you say it earlier?!"

"I wanted to be sure."

"Of what?"

"Now I am."

"You wanted to be sure of what?!"

She gave him the picture back.

"Why are you still here?"

" _Merde, Marie-France!_ "

He took the picture and leapt from the crate, running to his flat.

" _De rien Lucien!_ " [You're welcome Lucien!]

She walked back to the alley where Lucien waited for her. She looked at the graffiti on the wall. It depicted a tall man in a suit. He looked confident and proud, a cigarette in his mouth and light blue eyes, almost grey, shining fiercely. He was proudly smiling.

"Now I am sure, my dear Lulu, that you really became the best part of the _man on the wall._ I am proud of you, son."

The pigeons flew back and landed around her. She took a corner of her headscarf and wiped a tear off her cheek.

_**\-- Author's notes --** _

Thanks for reading this one! Hope you liked it and in any case, please do let me know in the comments! :D

Stay tuned for Chapter 16!


	16. Chapter 16

Lucien arrived in front of his door out of breath. Mundy was in front of his door too, about to knock but hearing someone run behind him, he turned.

"Lu'?"

"Mundy!"

Lucien ran and crashed in Mundy's arms.

"Mon Dieu... Mon Dieu... Mon Dieu..."

"Breathe! Take your time!"

"Right, wait..."

Lucien was breathing heavily. He put a hand in his pocket, got the key out and unlocked the door. He motionned Mundy in, still panting because of the long and panicked run. Mundy entered and gasped.

"Whot the hell have you done?! Are you hurt?!"

He pointed at the dark red stain on the carpet. He turned to Lucien and took his hands, inspecting them. He thought Lucien broke his hands again out of rage. Lucien shook his head. He gulped, still out of breath. He bent on his knees and continued breathing heavily.

"Have you killed someone here?! And why does it smell of wine?! You killed someone and then drank your guilt away?"

Lucien, head still down, raised his index finger and shook it. Mundy came close to Lucien and smelled him.

"You don't stink of alcohol so you didn't drink that much..."

Lucien sat on the sofa, throwing his vest on the armchair. Mundy followed him and sat down. Lucien took a deep breath.

" _Bien,_ I need to apologise to you, Mundy."

"Wait, first whot's all that mess?"

"I... It's wine. I drank a bit and sent the bottle flying, out of anger, hence the red stain on the carpet and the shattered glass bits. And no, I wish I could have smashed something with my hands but I still have scars and I don't want to make it worse. Now, listen, please."

He took Mundy's hands in his.

"I do apologise and I hope you will find it in your heart to accept my apologies. Yes, I have a son and you know him quite well. He's the Scout from Mann Co.. His name is Jérémy."

He lowered his head down.

"I _got_ him when I was a French spy, working for the government. I had a mission in Boston. Long story short: I fell in love with his mother, she felt the same for me. We moved in together and I thought about quitting my job and everything for her but of course as my mission was about to end, she grew more and more suspicious..."

He raised his head but was still unable to look Mundy in the eye, out of shame.

"One day, she tried to come to my workplace and have lunch with me. Of course I lied to her, only to protect her, keep her out of spy business. I had told her I had a typical job as a bank employee... So she came to the bank one day, asked about me and of course they told her that no one of my name was working there. She kept on trying in different banks until she ran out of patience and she started to have serious doubts about me. Of course, by the time that it happened, she was pregnant and we were waiting for a young boy. She confronted me about it all. I tried to resist and not tell her anything, for her sake, but to no avail. She wouldn't have any of it. She told me she would prefer to be in danger and knowing about it rather than living in lies..."

Lucien sighed.

"I should have told her the truth... _'always speak the truth to the one you want to be with'_... I thought she would never notice, she would never guess, never know... And I would never have to tell her. But no! I had to think that I was mastering everything."

He looked at Mundy's hand in his.

"She asked me to leave and never come back. Of course she didn't want me anywhere near my then unborn son. As she was close to giving birth, I didn't want to quarrel with her, so I accepted. But I always kept a distant eye on them both. Until I got recruited by Mann Co. and there he was, my own son. We were supposed to work together. I knew who he was but he had no idea who I was. I looked at him with fake coldness, to respect his mother's will. But deep down I wanted to know him more. I wanted him to tell me what happened every day I had not been there with him. So I waited. I waited for the last day at Mann Co., and as everyone was leaving, I took him on the side and told him the truth. At first he didn't believe me but I told him things only people who are close to his mother would know. He believed me and was furious. I left my name, phone number and address with him and told him that if he wanted, he knew how to contact me."

He sighed again.

"But Lu', why didn't you tell me?"

"I... To be honest, I was so happy with you that I completely forgot about Jérémy... I threw him so far at the back of my mind that I simply was not thinking about him anymore. Though I knew he would contact me. I knew he would eventually. He is kind hearted..."

Lucien smiled faintly.

"... like his mother. But Mundy,..."

He raised his head and looked Mundy in the eye.

"I did not have the intention to hide the fact that Jérémy is my son for any kind of reason. Please..."

He lowered his head again.

"Please forgive me."

Mundy removed his hands from Lucien's. The latter raised his head and looked surprised. Mundy then took Lucien's hands in his.

"On one condition."

"What is it?"

"You also forgive me."

"But you did nothing wrong."

"I did. Instead of trying to understand what was happening, I fled and left you alone. I should have stayed and at least asked for an explaination..."

He remembered he did ask for an explaination but taking Lucien by his collar and violently pinning him to the wall might not be the best way to go.

"I mean, ask _properly_ for an explaination."

Lucien opened wide eyes.

"Mundy, of course I forgive you! I love you, I..."

Mundy smiled.

"Then I forgive you too, luv'."

Lucien had tears in his eyes.

"I was so close to losing you... Mon Dieu..."

Mundy felt how much Lucien cared about him in those red eyes, that cracking voice. Lucien was trying not to let his tears go. Mundy got closer to him and hugged him, putting his hand in Lucien's hair, to push his head on his shoulder.

"It's ok luv', it's over."

Silent tears flowed off Lucien's closed eyes on Mundy's shoulder. And they stayed like that for a moment, Lucien silently crying while Mundy held him close. He turned his head and kissed Lucien's head, on his hair.

"It's going to sound pathetic but I've missed you, Lu'..."

Lucien broke the embrace.

"It is not pathetic."

He took a handkerchief of one of his pockets and wiped his cheeks and his eyes.

"It is. We've only been apart for a day."

"Oui, but we were both miserable because none of us wanted to leave."

"Yeah, it's true."

Lucien put his handkerchief away.

"I need to show you someone, Mundy. To truly be honest with you."

Lucien got off the sofa.

"Oh."

"No one knows how important that person is to me. But you, you have to know."

Mundy got off the couch and followed Lucien outside. He was walking confidently and without wasting time.

"You know the other day when you asked me how I managed my emotions?"

"Y-yeah I remember."

"I'm going to answer that and answer all there is today, about me, to you."

He stopped walking suddenly and turned to Mundy.

"All I ask is that you keep my secret, please. No one knows what I am going to show you."

Mundy nodded.

"I won't tell a thing, to no one."

"Merci."

They arrived in the alley where Lucien was standing about an hour ago.

"See this painting?"

"The tall man? He kind of looks like you, Lu'."

Lucien turned to face Mundy.

"Please, describe him to me."

Mundy was surprised but played along.

"Well, he's a nice looking bloke in a dark..."

Mundy got closer to the wall and ran his fingers on it.

"Grey suit... I'd say it used to be blue but with time it got grey... He looks fancy and quite confident... He is slim and quite tall... His hair is quite dark but again because of time, it looks washed out... Yeah I'd say he looks happy and confident... And yeah, he looks like you!"

Lucien had lit a cigarette and smirked.

"This is what I thought I would look like, more than thirty years ago."

Mundy's jaw dropped.

"Wait, you painted this?!"

Lucien put the cigarette in his mouth and nodded.

"Yes, I did. When I was much, much younger."

Lucien got closer to the wall and stood next to Mundy.

"Every time I thought I would not make it, I would come here and look at this painting. It reminds myself of the state of mind I was in when I painted it. I was desperate. I painted this out of rage. It is both what I wanted to be and what I would hate if I turned into this."

"Oh?"

"He looks like me, but not quite, right?"

"Yeah."

"It is my father."

Mundy's jaw dropped.

_**\-- Author's notes --** _

Thanks guys for reading :) As usual, you comments are more than greatly appreciated, so please go ahed and let me know what you think! 

Stay tuned for number 17!


	17. Chapter 17

"Whot...?"

"I painted my father on this wall. I wanted to be able to be as self-confident as him, as happy as him. I wanted to be able to rely on no one but myself. At the same time, I hated him. I hated his overconfidence, his gigantic ego and self-esteem. I hated the way he treated people as his tools, paying them to get what he wanted. That is how he treated my mother. He left her but wanted to keep me, as an _heir_ for the fortune he was piling up as a successful lawyer. My mother, being less well-off thought that it would be better for me to live and be raised by him. So she gave birth to me and a couple years later, he litterally paid her away."

Mundy looked intensely at Lucien. His hand was shaking with emotion. His eyes were locked on the man on the wall.

"I grew up thinking I would eventually get to know her. When I thought myself old enough, I confronted my father. I wanted to know who she was, where she was. I insisted so much that I remember what he did that day, and I will till the day I die. He told me to hop on his car and he drove. For a very long time he was silent in the car. I thought he was taking me to her, finally! We went through Paris and then outside of the city, where there are golden wheat fields as far as the eye can see. We entered a small village. Apparently, that's where she came from. He parked the car and we continued our journey on foot. We passed a tall black gate in wrought iron. And that's when I understood..."

He threw his cigarette end and held Mundy's hand in his. He gripped it tightly, his eyes still locked on those of the _man on the wall._ Mundy could see his eyes glisten.

"He had taken me to a cemetery."

Mundy felt his hand crushing under Lucien's fingers. He nonetheless took it all in without flinching or batting an eyelid.

"After that, he took me back to Paris. I cried silently during the whole journey back. Sliently because I knew that it would annoy him if he heard me and he would certainly have got angry at me, _very much so_."

He sniffed and swallowed his saliva as if he was turning a page in his story. Pigeons cooed around them.

"You see how I can be angry and break anything that has the misfortune to stand in front of me? Well, that's one of the virtues my father showed me. Countless times. His wrath was only equalled by his lack of empathy. When we got back to Paris, I decided I had to leave. So I did. At about 16, I fled. I made myself as hard to find as possible for a while. And that's when I met her."

"Who?"

"Me, young man."

Mundy turned to face Marie-France and her pigeons. The old lady stood a couple metres away from both men and the wall. Lucien turned as well.

"Mundy, this is Marie-France. Marie-France, this is Mundy."

Mundy extended a hand to the lady in the ragged clothes. She got closer, walking slowly with her cane. She stopped in front of Mundy's hand, staring at it. She was so short, Mundy's hand was nearly at her eye level.

"Lulu, who is that you're bringing me here?"

"Marie-France, this is _him_."

Mundy blushed and his hand, still extended, was shaking on its own.

"Mundy, Marie-France is as close as we can get to a mother to me."

She extended her fragile and wrinking hand and shook Mundy's. She then pulled on his arm so hard, Mundy bent down and forward. She squinted her eyes and looked at Mundy carefully, from up close. Mundy saw her small eyes shoot in every direction as if she was taking pictures of every bit of his face. She finally let go and turned her back.

"Follow me."

Lucien took Mundy by his hand and obeyed Marie-France. They went to the same other deadend street where they sat on the crates.

"So, Marie-France, what do you think?"

"You got a rare one there Lulu. Take care of him. He can be fragile but he has grown a thick skin over the years. He is a good man, delicate, kind hearted and he will think of you before he thinks of himself. That's what years of solitude does to you when you're kind hearted. It makes you even kinder."

Mundy's jaw dropped. Lucien smiled.

"You are very right, Maman France."

She raised an eyebrow.

"That's a name I haven't heard in years."

Lucien smiled.

"It is nonetheless how I'm used to calling you."

"When you've been a good boy, yes. Otherwise, when you do stupid things, I'm ' _Marie-France, please help_ '."

Lucien laughed and Marie-France smiled. Mundy was still in shock.

"Isn't he going to say anything? He understands French, right?"

"Yes he does. He comes from Australia but he is learning very fast."

Lucien turned to Mundy and put a hand on his thigh.

"So, mon amour, what do you think?"

"I... I... Is that how you described me to her?"

"Non, I didn't."

Lucien smiled kindly.

"Maman France just knows how people are."

She smiled and the wrinkles on her face looked like rays of light radiating from her eyes.

"I... I am honoured to meet you Ma'am."

"Oh, come on, you're family. Call me Maman France."

Mundy smiled, Lucien was overjoyed.

"Right then, _Maman France._ "

"You know, son, you're the first person Lulu brings me."

"Really, in all these years?"

Lucien blushed and nodded.

"You've never taken anyone to her before? You must have, you've been with countless ladies!"

Maman France laughed.

"Yes, he is very good looking my Lulu, he's had a lot of success but my Lulu here never brought me any of these ladies. You're the only person."

"It's true."

"But why Lu'? I mean there have been a couple ladies that you really loved, right?"

He lowered his head and looked at one of the pigeons eating the bread crumbs Maman France had thrown on the floor.

"I never thought someone could understand what I've been through as a child and young man. The solitude, the frustration, the struggle... But you, you can."

"Son,..."

Maman France took a serious tone of voice and looked at Mundy.

"When I first met Lulu, he was but a child. He only had his hatred for his father as a fuel to go on in life. He was extremely antisocial, no one could talk to him without it ending in a fist fight. And because he was so young and came from a rich background, he didn't know how to fight. He would get himself in fights and lose all of them. He would always end up physically broken, bloody, with bruises everywhere. So one evenight, I talked to him. Back then I used to raise lots of street kids, as I still do. But yes, I went to him and tried to talk to him. It took us the whole night to be able to communicate. But he finally opened up and tears mixed up with the blood on his face, do you remember Lulu?"

Lucien smiled, a bittersweer smile of nostalgia.

"But of course..."

"After that, well, you can tell the rest, Lulu."

"After that Maman France taught me everything I know and everything I needed to survive in the streets. She first told me to paint _the man on the wall_ , that's how we call it. She said to me that each time something happened to me, may it be good or bad, I should go and tell him. So I did, especially when she wasn't around or taking care of other kids."

Lucien spoke louder:

"By the way kids, I can hear you! Come out of your hiding and come say hi!"

A dozen or so kids emerged from behind walls and bins.

"Kids, I told you to stay put!"

"Your hearing is certainly going down, Maman France because I heard them before you could."

"Bah! That's what old age brings to you. Bad eyesight and bad hearing! Now kids, come say hi to Lulu and his friend!"

The kids were of very different ages, from roughly 5 to 16 or 17 for the eldest. Lucien jumped down his crate and the youngest one ran and crashed in his legs.

"Uncle Lulu!"

"Hey Tito, how are you?"

Lucien took the kid and carried him in his arms.

"Tito, this is Mundy."

"Hello Sir."

"Mundy, this is Antoine, or Tito for short."

"You can call me Mundy, or Mick, that's how family calls me."

Lucien raised an eyebrow.

"You never told me that!"

"That's because I like your accent when you say my name."

"Uncle Lulu, your friends speaks weirdly!"

"He is not French, he has an accent, that's why. It's difficult for him to speak French!"

"But it's not hard!"

Mundy came close to the kid.

"Oi, can you even speak English?"

"Yes I can!"

"Go on then!"

" _'Ello Mick._ " The kid replied with a very thick accent.

"That's it?"

"Yeah but that's a lot, right?"

"Right, we'll say it's a lot!"

"Uncle Lulu?"

"Yes?"

"Your friend is kind, I like him."

Mundy blushed.

"So do I, Tito, so do I. Do you want to go with him for a second? I need to talk to the rest of you."

Tito nodded and extended his arms towards Mundy.

"Can you take him Mundy?"

"Erm... well.. erm... I can try..."

Lucien found Mundy's awkwardness charming. He handed him the kid and Mundy held him.

"See, it's not hard."

"Yeah, but bloody hell, you weigh as much as a mountain, what do they give you for lunch at school?"

Tito laughed heartily.

"Hey! I'm not a mountain!"

Lucien turned to the rest of the kids, putting his hands on their shoulders as they gathered around him.

"So, boys, how is school? Rémi, your maths test?"

"It went great, I think I finally got it! Thanks Uncle Lulu."

"See, it's not that hard! And, good Lord, Mathieu, you got into a fight again? Was it that kid again?"

"He said my mother was a whore-ouch!"

Maman France hit him with her cane.

"Language, young boy!"

"But it wasn't me who said it!"

"Still! What is that vocabulary, is that what they teach you at school nowadays?!"

"In any case, Mathieu, I told you, fighting will only make him feel like he is getting to you. You should ignore him."

"Yeah I know, but Uncle Lulu, it's hard!"

Lucien squatted on his knees to be at eye level with the kid.

"What counts is not what they say, Mathieu. What counts is what _you_ think and I imagine Maman France told you countless times..."

"Yeah, yeah, I know... I'm not alone, I have a family... But it's hard, Uncle, it's so hard..."

"Look at me Mathieu, I listened to what Maman France said _all my life_ and look what I have become."

The child smiled.

"I wish I could become like you, Uncle Lulu."

"Well, you can do more than just wish. See that wall there?"

Lucien pointed at the wall where he had painted his father. The child nodded.

"Paint the man that you want to become and look at him everyday. Look at him when you feel happy, look at him when you feel sad. And above all else..."

He raised his index finger.

"... Listen to Maman France."

The child nodded. Lucien stood back up.

"How is the rest of you?"

"We're fine Uncle Lulu, thanks. And it's the holidays now so we just enjoy the summer."

"Ah, I see. Have you found a summer job George?"

George was the eldest.

"Yes I did, I work as a waiter in a restaurant."

"And how is high school?"

"Very good, I might be able to apply to a university next year. I just have to collect enough money during the holidays to pay for the fees."

"Do you think you will be able to?"

"I'm actually working in a restaurant and in a bar, I should have just about enough to register. And then I'll try having a part time job the rest of the year to keep the money coming."

Lucien put his hand on his shoulder.

"Excellent job George, I am proud of you. You are becoming a man as well as a responsible one."

George looked proud of himself and blushed.

" _Merci Tonton Lulu,_ Do you want us to go and leave you with Uncle Mickand Maman France now?" [Thanks Uncle Lulu.]

"If you all don't mind, yes, I need to discuss some things with them."

"Right, kids, let's go, we have to leave Uncle Lulu and Uncle Mick to chat with Maman France! Say goodbye!"

" _Goodbye Uncle Lulu!"_

Mundy put Tito back on the ground. He ran to Lucien.

"Uncle Lulu, wait!"

"What is it Tito?"

Tito motionned him to bend down so Lucien squatted down. The boy went to Lucien's ear and put his hands on each side of Lucien's ear. He got close so no one could hear and whispered something in his ear. Lucien looked suprised and blushed. The young boy took a step back from Lucien and extended his arm. Lucien shook his small hand.

"Eh! Where do you think you're going Tito?"

The kid, who had started to run away, stopped and turned to face Lucien who was still squatting. He pointed at his cheek. The small boy ran back at Lucien hugged him and kissed im on the cheek.

"Now, go with the others and be a good boy!"

" _Oui Tonton!_ " [Yes Uncle!]

The dead end street emptied again and were only left Maman France, Mundy and Lucien. They all resumed their seats on the crates.

"So you have been taking care of these kids?"

"Occasionally, yes, I lend a hand. Most of it is done by Maman France, I just help out whenever I can."

Marie-France fed her pigeons again.

"Lucien is the best kid I have ever trained. Now I look at him and he is grown up, good looking, has a stable situation and is in love..."

Lucien blushed.

"Merci Maman France."

She held Lucien's hand in his.

" _Je suis fière de toi mon petit."_ [I am proud of you, son.]

Lucien smiled proudly.

"You know Mundy, Lucien always comes back. He can go missing for months, years even! But he always comes back to Maman France and he tells her about his missions, about his problems, about his joys and sorrows."

"Ah, so that's who you talk to about your true feelin's..."

"Oui, it's Maman France... For example, when I was looking for you this morning, I came to her and she told me that you were en route to my flat... But anytime I needed advice, I would come back to her."

"And I would try to put some sense in his skull!"

"I am truly honoured to meet you Maman France and now I know how Lucien became a very competent spy as well as a decebt human being. Even though, I must admit, it's not really what you showed in the Mann Co. days!"

Maman France explained.

"Ah, at that time he wanted to work for a private company to make a lot of money. His lady at the time was a greedy one... I didn't like her and I told him!"

She raised her skinny and wrinkly index finger.

"I said 'Lulu, she's not the right one for you!' But he thought she was because the truth is he was tired and needed to settle down. So he thought if he ever was going to settle down, it would be with her..."

Lucien interrupted her.

"Now, Maman France, I need you to tell me."

"Mmh?"

"What about Mundy and me?"

" _What_ about you?"

"What do you think?"

"I think that it is such a shame..."

"Oh."

Lucien looked disappointed. He lowered his head. Mundy held his hand firmly.

"But, Maman..."

"Don't interrupt me, son. You asked for my opinion, let me finish."

Mundy's heart was racing.

"I think it is a shame. Well actually it's even worse than that. It's a double shame or maybe even triple, who knows?!... Anyway, it's terrible."

She paused.

"You're never going to give me grand-children then!"

Lucien raised his head and raised an eyebrow.

"And on top of that you had to find him so late in life. Bah, I guess ' _mieux vaut tard que jamais'!_ "

"Sorry what does that mean?"

Lucien translated.

"Better late than never."

Maman France resumed her speech.

"Lucien, my son, you have found what you need."

Tears came in his eyes.

"But..!"

"Love is not just something you feel in your guts... No! Love is what you sacrifice for the both of you to go on..."

Mundy raised his head and his jaw dropped.

_Bloody hell, that's exactly what the old fishing man told me!_

He finished her sentence:

_It's something you build and if some of it gets blown away, you both sit down, roll up your sleeves and build it again."_

She smiled.

"Take him as an example Lulu, this one at least listens carefully!"

Lucien was confused.

"What?!"

Mundy interrupted before Lucien could ask more.

"Wait, Maman France, those words I heard from..."

"Hervé, yes, I know him quite well."

" _Whot?!_ "

"You think Lulu has tricks up his sleeves? Well, meet the master here Micky, I'm the one teaching this young boy! Don't you forget that! Lucien had come from time to time since he met you and I had never seen him so deeply in love with someone. He kept talking about you _all_ the time. So I kept an eye on you and when you left the flat I set some people to work and arranged things so that you'd both meet again at Lulu's place."

Both were utterly surprised.

"Well, I guess we both ought to thank you, Maman France."

"Yup, you'd better. It was hard enough knowing where you'd go and setting someone there, Micky!"

Lucien got close to Maman France and kissed her on the cheek.

"Merci."

Mundy was red as a tomato.

"Come on Micky, you too!"

She pointed at her cheek. He jumped down the crate and got to Marie-France. He didn't even have to bend as the height of the crate was perfect for him to kiss Marie-France's cheek.

"Voilà! Très bien!" [There you go, very well!]

"Thank you Maman France."

"No, Micky, thank _yo_ _u_ for taking care of my Lulu. And you Lulu, you take care of Micky here, right?"

"Oui, I will."

"Good boys... Now if you'll excuse me, the other kids will need me."

She hopped of the crate and landed silently. Mundy's eyebrows jumped.

_Lu' really did learn everything from her, bless her..._

"Thank you Maman France, take care."

She was walking away, her back to Lucien and Mundy. She raised her hand to say goodbye.

"Oh by the way..."

She turned to face both men.

"When your son arrives, be a good father, Lulu. Mundy, you show him how to be kind, ok?"

Both looked at each other, surprised.

"We... we will Maman France, thanks!"

Mundy replied.

And off she went, followed by her usual flock of pigeons.

_**\-- Author's notes --** _

As always, thanks for reading :)

Let me know in the reviews what you think of this one :D !

Stay tuned for Chapter 18!


	18. Chapter 18

Mundy was in bed, reading a book while Lucien was taking a shower. He put the book down for a second.

_What a day... The phonecall, Jeremy, the old man fishing, Maman France... All that in one day. In one day I went from thinking that Lu' was lying to me to him revealing all there is to know about him... What a day..._

The noise of the shower stopped and broke Mundy's train of thought. A couple minutes afterwards, Lucien came to the bedroom, wearing his satin red kimono and a white tanktop. He climbed on the bed and laid next to Mundy.

"Ah..." He sighed.

"What a day we've just been through, mon amour..."

He took Mundy's hand in his and put his head on Mundy's stomach.

"Someone is tired..."

Mundy said while running his fingers in Lucien's hair.

"Tired, yes, but I also missed you. I missed you so much."

The lights were low in the bedroom as it was pitchdark outside and the louvered shutters were shut. The windows were nonetheless wide open as a draft could only be hoped for during the night in July. Only the lamp on Mundy's nightstand was lit up.

"I missed you too Lu'... I really did. Also, thank you."

"What for?"

"Introducing me to your mum."

Lucien smiled but Mundy didn't see it and continued, still stroking Lucien's hair.

"I like her. She's a good lady."

"She likes you too. I don't know how she does it but she instantly knows if you're a good person or not... That's one reason why I avoided talking about my... erm... _previous lovers_... I was always afraid that she would say they're bad people. And in any case, very few of them I really wanted to spend more than a night with. So I didn't bother. Jérémy's mother was one. But being in Boston, it's hard to communicate with Maman France. Then that lady I was with, before I've met you. I really thought she was the one. But Maman France kept on saying she wouldn't be the right one, and once again she was right!"

Lucien sat up and put his head on Mundy's shoulder. He put one of his legs between Mundy's and his hand on Mundy's chest, caressing it slowly.

"Then I met you, on my way to kill my ex's new lover and now I couldn't care less about them. Actually, I wish she can find her own Mundy."

"Oh..."

"But enough of me talking... What do _you_ feel... _Mick?"_

Mundy smiled.

"I feel exhausted too. But happy... Yeah, I'm happy. To have you here..."

Mundy bent his head to make it rest on Lucien's. He sighed.

"I love you too, Lucien."

Lucien raised his head and turned. He got on all four, towering Mundy who sank to lie completely on the bed. He raised his eyes to never leave Lucien's. His mouth was half open and his heartbeat accelerated. Lucien's crystal clear eyes shone brightly despite the dim light of the lamp.

"You're doing it again..."

"Uh? What?"

"Your pupils dilated." He whispered.

"I'm... It's your eyes..."

Lucien smiled, his eyebrows went up while his eyelids flapped slowly, his long dark eyelashes fluttering hypnotically and a smile on his lips. His neck slowly dived down like a panther to drink water from a pond and delicately put his lips on Mundy's, closing his eyes. He pressed for an instant and backed off, opening his eyes again. Mundy put his left hand on Lucien's ribs and his fingers travelled to his back, his right hand on Lucien's cheek and his long fingers drowning in his hair, at the back of his neck. He pulled him closer and kissed him equally gently, prudely. When he broke the kiss, he said:

_"I can express no kinder sign of love, than this kind kiss."_

Lucien's eyebrow jumped up, showing that he didn't understand what Mundy meant. Mundy smiled and replied.

"Shakespeare."

"Oh, Monsieur knows Shakespeare?"

" _Let me not to the marriage of true minds_

_Admit impediments. Love is not love_

_Which alters when it alteration finds,_

_Or bends with the remover to remove._

_O no! it is an ever-fixed mark_

_That looks on tempests and is never shaken;_

_It is the star to every wand'ring bark,_

_Whose worth's unknown, although his height be taken._

_Love's not Time's fool, though rosy lips and cheeks_

_Within his bending sickle's compass come;_

_Love alters not with his brief hours and weeks,_

_But bears it out even to the edge of doom._

_If this be error and upon me prov'd,_

_I never writ, nor no man ever lov'd."_

Lucien's jaw dropped. Mundy delicately put a finger on Lucien's chin and raised it up, to shut Lucien's open mouth. Both smiled at each other.

" _Une orange sur la table [An orange on the table]_

_Ta robe sur le tapis [Your dress on the carpet]_

_Et toi dans mon lit_ _[And you in my bed]_

_Doux présent du présent_ _[Soft gift of the present]_

_Fraîcheur de la nuit_ _[Coolness of the night]_

_Chaleur de ma vie."_ _[Warmth of my life]_

Mundy was speechless. Lucien, still above him, smirked.

"French is better when it comes to romance in general and poetry in particular."

He dived down again, kissed Mundy's lips to close his open mouth. This time he brushed Mundy's lips for longer. Mundy closed his eyes as time seemed to have stopped for him. And then he felt it, Lucien's tongue, like a hypnotic snake waving and dancing in his mouth, entangling and disentangling itself with his own tongue. Mundy realised he also got a nicotine addiction _as long as he could get it from Lucien..._ He pulled his lover closer, locking his legs behind Lucien's back. Lucien was now forced to sit on Mundy's pelvis and he felt _it_... He felt Mundy's love and well... _lust_ in all the parts of his body. That encouraged him to keep going.

They both breathed louder, letting some moans escape here and there as the temperature rose under the soft and thin satin bed sheet.

Lucien broke the kiss and buried his head in Mundy's neck, sending electric discharges everytime his lips or tongue touched Mundy. The latter put a hand behind Lucien's head and grasped his hair firmly as he felt Lucien's lips travel down on his chest. Suddenly he stopped, looking at Mundy's chest. Mundy felt two fingers stroking a deep scar there.

"That scar..."

It was in a large V-shape and went from the collar bone to the stomach, where the point of the V was.

"Yeah, remember that time Medic brought me back from the dead? That's that."

"I thought it would have disappeared."

Mundy looked at Lucien's eyes and felt ashamed. He didn't like his scars. He thought they made him look like a lab rat. He quickly put a hand on his chest, to hide them. Lucien's eyebrows jumped up in surprise.

"Why do you hide them?"

"Because they make me look like a freak."

"Maybe..."

Lucien moved Mundy's hand away and bent down again to get closer to Mundy's face.

"... But you're _my_ freak and I wouldn't have it any other way."

Mundy smiled and removed his hand to place it on Lucien's cheek again.

"To be honest, we are all _freaks_ , so don't be ashamed. Besides, you're the kind of _freak_ I love..."

"Thank you luv'."

Mundy raised his neck off the pillow and, catching Lucien's lower lip between his, pulled him down.

There were no more words exchanged from then on. That was apart from the occasional Lucien's whispering of _"Je t'aime" (I love you)_ and _"Je te veux"_ or " _J'ai envie de toi"_ _(I want you)_. Mundy would answer with moans of pleasure and sometimes, very shyly, " _Moi aussi"_ _(Me too)._

The temperature was quite high, as it would for any night in July, but it rose even higher and the satin bedsheet was thrown away.

_\-- The next morning --_

Mundy opened his eyes, slowly, one after the other. He turned to his side and saw that Lucien's side of the bed was empty.

_Oh..._ _I'm usually the first one up._

The smell of coffee tickled his nostrils.

_He made coffee already?_

He pricked his ears. He heard a couple very faint sounds.

_Oh I bet he's in the living room, having coffee. Time for payback for that fright you gave me in the shower the other day Mister Lucien..._

Mundy slid to the side of the bed and delicately put his feet on the ground. He then took his steps very silently and slowly on the carpet floor. He exited the bedroom and headed for the living room. The living room and the kitchen were one big room. As he entered, Lucien was sitting at the table, reading a newspaper, his coffee mug in his hand. He was wearing a white shirt but had rolled his sleeves up as the weather was quite hot and very sunny. The windows were open but the blinds were closed to let only the drafts in, without the heat. Luckily Lucien was sitting in such a way that he ahd his back to Mundy. The latter smiled.

_Haha! Get ready for the fright of your life!_

Mundy raised a foot up, bending his back and opening his arms to maintain his balance. He put his foot down.

_Only a couple more steps, come on!_

He raised his other foot and put it down. He couldn't see Lucien who had heard him coming of course and was only pretending to read the newspaper. He was smiling to himself.

_Come on Mundy, one more step before_ **_I_ ** _give_ **_you_ ** _the fright of your life... again._

Mundy took the last step. He was now standing right behind Lucien, his arms slowly extending towards Lucien's shoulder.

_Come on, come on, come on! I've got this!_

He was an inch away from touching him. His heartbeat accelerated in anticipation. Lucien smirked.

"Good morning to you too, _mon chaton._ " [ _My kitten]_

Mundy shouted in surprise.

"Aaah!"

Lucien turned only his head and his eyes shot to Mundy's direction. He looked overconfident.

"You really thought you could surprise me?"

Mundy sighed.

"Oh, come on! I must have been quite close, right?"

"Not at all."

Lucien stood up and turned to face Mundy. He wrapped his arms around Mundy's waist. Mundy looked half annoyed, half disappointed.

"I can teach you, if you want."

"Was I that bad?"

"Well, you were not good enough but we can work on this."

"And since when am I a _kitten?"_

Lucien chuckled.

"Since you try to act like one! _You_ of all people should know that feline cubs tend to try to scare their parents and you know how they react?"

"Yeah, they usually pretend that they got scared even they didn't, to give confidence to the young one, I know, I know, but you didn't even do that!"

Lucien's hands were stroking Mundy's hips and back delicately. He looked up to meet Mundy's eyes.

"Sorry mon chaton but if that is any comfort to you, I found you very cute, trying to walk silently on the carpet..."

Mundy looked down and smiled.

"... and equally ridiculous, you don't need to raise your feet that high off the ground!"

"How could you see me?! You don't have eyes behind your head!?"

Lucien smiled. He turned and pointed at the silver coffee pot.

"This made a hilarious distorted mirror!"

"Oh right, I hadn't thought about that..."

Lucien turned back to Mundy.

"Sorry mon amour, did I put your mood down?"

"Nah, it's fine. I'll go get a quick shower and join you in a minute."

" _Très bien."_ [Very well.]

Mundy exited and Lucien resumed his seat. He sipped a bit more coffee and soon the noise from the shower started. A couple minutes afterwards, Mundy was sitting next to Lucien and having breakfast.

"Lu', I thought of something."

"Mmh?"

Lucien raised his eyes off the newspaper.

"The kid who wants a part-time job, George, I could try and get him something to do in the zoo if he likes. It wouldn't be much but I could do with an assistant now that we're expecting babies."

Lucien raised his eyebrows.

"That would be wonderful! He likes animals for sure, they all do. George would be delighted I'm sure."

Mundy raised his index.

"But! I have to be sure he's reliable at work. I'm happy to educate him if and only if he's a good student. The main thing is that if I take an assistant and manage to convince the zoo to pay him, I can't risk him not taking the job seriously. Otherwise, that's my reputation that will go down."

"But of course, do not worry. George is obedient and very much focused on hard work which is quite remarkable for a kid of his age. I can vouch for him, If you take him, you will not regret it."

"Right, I need to see how things go at the zoo, I'll try and catch my boss to talk to him about that. And I have to go look after the babies and the mothers. We should be a couple weeks away from the eggs hatching."

"Aw... That is cute indeed. Have you thought about names?"

"Names?"

"For the babies!"

"Ah, well, now that you say it, no I haven't..."

"Try and not call them with hideous English names."

Lucien was obviously teasing Mundy.

_**\-- Author's notes --** _

Thanks for reading guys! As usual, comments/reviews are greatly appreciated and push me to continue this story, so please don't hesitate :) !

See you around for the next chapter! :)


	19. Chapter 19

"Oi! You're the ones with names like a train with wagons! Like Jean-Pierre or Jean-Jacques! We don't have that nonesense!"

Lucien laughed.

"And French names sound weird! You've got to admit that Lucien is a weird sounding name!"

"Maybe for you, but for us, it sounds perfectly normal."

"And what does it mean even 'Lucien' ?"

"Ah..."

Lucien took the last sip of his coffee and closed his newspaper.

"It comes from the latin 'lux' which means light."

"Light as in the opposite of 'heavy'?"

"Non, light as in the light that shines."

"Ah, alroight, I see..."

"My mother chose the name, because that's what she saw in me, light."

"Quite ironic to become a spook then! You always make sure to not draw light to you."

Lucien smiled.

"True, indeed."

"But you shine as an example for those kids Maman France is raising."

"I hope so."

"You do! Have you seen how they look up to you?"

Mundy smiled.

"I was taken aback that day..."

"Why?"

"I didn't know you could be that... _kind_ to children."

"Who isn't, is a monster. Did you really think I was like that?"

"Well, back in the Mann Co. days-"

Lucien interrupted him bluntly.

_"I was a spy_."

Mundy stopped his sentence for a second. _Is he... annoyed?_

"I was only doing my job. Not attracting any unwanted attention is part of it."

"Sorry Lu'..."

"You don't have to be."

"Did I say something wrong?"

"Non, I just can't forgive myself."

"For what?"

"Being an idiot. I have wasted years there, litterally, years."

"Oi, don't say that! If not for Mann Co., we would probably have never met!"

"Yes, but did we _really_ meet at Mann Co.?"

Mundy didn't answer. He now understood what Lucien meant. And he thought back at those days at Mann Co.. He remembered the mad doctor, the nearly motherly Engineer, the mysterious pyro. He remembered the mountain of muscles that was Heavy, the slim and loud Scout, the drunk Demo and overly patriotic Soldier. He remembered the hot nights in his van, in the desert as well as the cold snowy nights in winter. Oh and the backstabs! Mundy had a shiver. He hated it, the constant pressure to kill as many as possible, as fast as possible, before the BLU Spy could get to him. Of course he had never seen the BLU Spy without his balaclava but he had noticed his blond eyebrows so he had assumed he had blond hair. He also had very light blue eyes. But anyways, what a nuisance! Once or twice they had chatted before jumping at each other's throat with their knives, kukri for one, short butterfly blade for the other. He was so arrogant and self-confident, so... _French_! He also saw flashing before his eyes the souvenirs of the sniping duels he had to fight with his counterpart. He looked a bit like him although he had quite a long beard and long hair. Lucien must have bacstabbed him as many times as that BLU Spook did him. He must also have-

Lucien clicked his fingers in front of Mundy's face.

"Monsieur dived very deep in his own mind."

"Ah, uh, sorry Lu'... I was thinking-"

"About the Mann Co. days, yes... I remember them as well. I remember the colleagues we lived with but above all I remember the deaths. Those I caused as well as those I suffered. The number of times I burnt to death trying to sap the BLU Engineer's equipment... The number of times I got sliced through by the BLU Medic... The number of times I backstabbed him... Or the BLU Sniper for that matter..."

The tone of Lucien's voice slightly changed on that last sentence. Mundy raised an eyebrow.

"Oui?"

"Whot?"

"Come on, ask me."

"Ask you whot? "

"Mundy, I read you like an open book. You have something on you mind and on your tongue. Speak it out."

Mundy sighed. _I really can't hide anything from him, it's like I'm constantly_ _naked._

"I was wondering about the BLU Sniper... D'you ever talk to him?"

"Occasionally, oui."

Lucien got up and went to one of the kitchen drawers. He opened it and took a cigarette out of one of the cigarette packs. He lit it and turned to face Mundy.

"Ah... I remember him. Curious character, quite excentric. Of course I hated him as a member of the BLU team but I think that I would not enjoy his company anyway... We've had a few exchanges of words. One can't really call it a _conversation_. And that always happened right before crossing knives so it was not the most pleasant conversations. The BLU Spy on the other hand...! He was French as well, he came from Alsace, that's the region at the frontier with Germany. He seemed to be a good man, good looking as well!"

Mundy raised an eyebrow.

"Oh, someone is jealous..."

Lucien smiled.

"May I remind you that I'm not attracted to men, apart from you of course."

Mundy rolled his eyes up and smiled. Lucien puffed some smoke out.

"However..."

Lucien raised his index finger.

"... that does not prevent me from appreciating beauty, may it be male or female beauty."

"Ah, fair enough..."

"Enough talking about old times, you're going to see the babies today?"

He put the cigarette back to his lips.

"Yeah, the vet is supposed to check on them and I need to clean the enclosures. What about you?"

"I planned a rehearsal and Pascal knows a couple of friends who would like to join the band, so I have to listen to what they're able to do."

"Oh, yeah, I remember he mentioned last time, what instruments are they playing?"

Lucien puffed some smoke elegantly and shook the cigarette next to him, on the counter, in an ashtray. The dead grey and black cinders fell in it.

"Both play the violin, that would be a fine addition to the band. And I have something I'd like to make them play."

"Oh, what's that?"

"It's a song called ' _Message Personnel_ ' by Françoise Hardy. It starts as a poem and grows into a song, very romantic."

"Message personnel, that is 'personal message', right?"

"Oui, indeed. It goes beautifully with a couple violins. We'll see how it goes. Oh by the way, you're sure you won't make it for the show next time?"

"Yeah, sorry, with the arrival of the babies in a couple weeks, I will spend a lot of time there... I'm not going to complain, but that will possibly mean less rehearsals and so, less shows."

"We could rehearse just the two of us here in the flat when you feel like it."

"Oh, yeah but without the rest of the band, will it really be worth it?"

"I'm sure it will, you're immensely talented. You'll manage to adapt on the spot. Please, don't sacrifice the shows."

Lucien was asking with his voice as well as his eyes. Mundy could not resist them. He sighed.

"Alroight... We'll try it that way. We'll do that tonight, is that ok with you?"

"By all means, yes."

Mundy finished his coffee. He grabbed his mug and put it in the sink, next to Lucien. Meanwhile, the Frenchman stubbed out his cigarette in the ashtray. As he turned around to head out of the room, Mundy felt Lucien's arms wrapped around him, from behind. He smiled. He felt Lucien's head leaning on his back. Mundy put his mug back on the table and held Lucien's hands in his, sliding them up to his chest and pressing them gently.

"Whot's that then?"

" _Je veux juste te dire que je t'aime._ " [I just want to tell you that I love you.]

Mundy felt warm. Not physically, not everywhere in his body. But he felt that warmth that one feels when the one one loves, loves you back. That sweetness that diffuses from one's heart to the chest and makes one feel light, so light. Mundy took a deep breath and held Lucien's hands in his, against his heart.

"So do I."

He slid Lucien's right hand up to his mouth and kissed it.

"You know what I think, sometimes?"

"No, tell me."

Lucien was speaking with his eyes closed to fully appreciate the embrace, Mundy's body's warmth and the faint trace of his cologne.

"I think that I would give everything I have to relive my life and meet you earlier, much earlier."

Mundy left Lucien's hand on his lips and the other on his chest.

"Maybe you wouldn't have loved me then, seeing the success you had with girls, you probably wouldn't even have looked at me."

Lucien put both his hands on Mundy's chest.

"Maybe... But it feels like I have so little time to spend with you, given my old age... It kills me."

Mundy felt the grip from Lucien's hands tighten on his chest, as if he was clinging to Mundy as he would to life itself. He realised how Lucien was afraid.

_He is afraid to die._

"Non, I am not afraid to die." Lucien said aloud, hearing Mundy's very thoughts.

"I am afraid to be separated from you."

Mundy froze.

"You are now one of the very few things that I can hope to last for a long time, you are a landmark, a lighthouse in this chaotic ocean that is my life."

Mundy took Lucien's hands again, entertwining his fingers around his like ivy grows and curls around a fence. He stroked his fingers with his thumb. Lucien's eyes were wet and he had been frowning. But feeling Mundy's touch on his fingers and on the scars he still had on the back of them made him relax. His eyebrows stopped frowning and went up, slowly. He felt his whole face open and relax. His fingers left Mundy's chest and rather entagled with his fingers.

"Don't worry, I won't leave your side. I promised you. And please, Lu', please..."

He took a deep breath.

"Stop worrying. Your constant fear and anxiety about that only prevents you from fully appreciating and enjoying the moments we share."

Lucien sighed.

"You are right."

He took a step back from Mundy. The latter turned to face him. He put a hand to Lucien's cheek and stroked it with his thumb. Lucien closed his eyes again and his head leant on Mundy's hand.

"Who's the cat now?"

Lucien opened his eyes suddenly, surprised by Mundy's comment. He then smiled.

"You can't lie, I got you there!"

Lucien held the hand Mundy was using to stoke his cheek in his as if to make sure it wouldn't go away.

"Indeed, you did, mon amour. But as you very well said, if you're a kitten, then I am a cat."

Mundy bent down slowly, his smile growing larger and larger. He put his lips on Lucien's forehead.

"I don't mind, as long as you're mine."

Lucien hugged him and they stayed like that for a minute or so, feeling each other's presence, the warmth. Some birds chirped outside and broke the moment.

"Right, luv', better get going."

"Alright, I will go too. I will see you tonight?"

"Yeah, see ya."

Lucien grabbed his vest and hat, he headed for the door but suddenly he stopped. Mundy had put his mug in the sink and was about to wash it when the noise of Lucien's footsteps getting closer made him turn his head.

"I forgot something, Mundy."

"Oh?"

Lucien got closer to him.

"Give me your hand."

Mundy extended his right hand. Lucien put his hand in his vest pocket and with his fist still clenched, he put something in Mundy's hand. He slowly removed his hand.

"Whot...? Oh..."

"It is for you. This home is yours as much as it is mine."

Mundy's eyes were locked on what his hand contained, namely, a silver shining key.

"Why... Thanks, Lu'."

Mundy took it delicately between his index and thumb, to inspect the keyring. He got it close to his eyes and smiled, blushing slightly. It was a silver capital 'M'. Lucien got his keys out of his pocket and showed his keyring to Mundy. A silver capital 'L'.

"Thanks, luv'."

"Non, I should have done this long ago. They're both made by the same silversmith. Look at the back."

Mundy flipped the M. In the side was engraved a sentence.

_"À Mundy, tu détiens déjà la clé de mon coeur, voilà maintenant celle de notre logis."_

Mundy frowned. He didn't understand it. Lucien translated it for him.

"It says ' _To Mundy, you already have the key to my heart, here is now that of our dwelling_ '."

_**\-- Author's notes --** _

Hey guys! Thanks! :D

Comments are always greatly appreciated :D !

See y'all for Chapter 20!


	20. Chapter 20

 

_\- That evening -_

Mundy was walking back home. The streets were busy and restaurants were filling up in the sweet heat of the evening. Mundy finally reached the door. He raised his fingers to give a knock but then he remembered. He saw Lucien's hand in his and then the key. He smiled. He put his hand in his pocket, looking for the key but suddenly he stopped. Something distracted him. He leant forward, sticking his ear to the door.

_He is singing..._

He stood there for a moment, trying to listen to Lucien's voice. But the door was too thick, or Lucien was singing too far away. In any case, he couldn't hear him as clearly as he wanted. He took a deep breath.

_Alroight, the kitten will try again. This time, I'll make it._

He took the key out of his pocket, slided the key ever so slowly in the lock and turned it. The clicking sound was faint, so Mundy hoped that Lucien had not heard it on top of his singing. He pushed the door in and entered, tiptoeing. He pushed the door back to close it, making sure the lock wouldn't click too loudly. He then removed his shoes quickly and followed the sound of Lucien's voice. He found that Lucien was in the living room. He had put some records on and was singing on top of the music. Mundy stuck his back to the wall right next to the door, and listened carefully.

Silence.

Mundy held his breath.

_Oh bugger, please don't tell me he heard me!_

Lucien moved to change the disc. Mundy heard him clear his throat while the intro to a mysterious sounding song started. It was a bass, a couple notes on the piano and a trembling harp. Then...

_"Il est mort!_

[ _He is dead]_

_Il est mort le soleil!_ "

[ _The sun has died!_ ]

He sang loud and clear before his voice went quieter.

" _Quand tu m'as quitté,_

[ _When you left m_ _e_ ]

_Il est mort l'été._

[ _Summer died_ ]

_L'amour et le soleil,_

[ _Love and the sun_ ]

_C'est pareil."_

_[They're the same]_

Mundy wanted to watch Lucien so he delicately took a step on his left and, with his back still to the wall, he twisted to peek through the doorframe. His eyes opened wide, and his pupils went the size of Jupiter.

There he was, Lucien, singing. The golden sun was slowly setting and through the half open louvered blinds, the intense spectrum of orange and red shone on him in stripes, turning him in a shining tiger. He was wearing his satin red kimono and as he sang, he danced elegantly, sending the sides of the kimono flying, the belt writing in red in the air all the elegance and lightness that Lucien could express with his feet stroking the ground like a ballerina.

_Bloody hell..._

He was doing all that while singing. Suddenly he stopped, opened his arms wide, the bright red kimono opening like wings. He held his head slightly higher and he sang louder.

_"Hier,_

_[Yesterday]_

_La couleur que j'aimais le mieux._

_[The colour that I liked the most]_

_C'était la couleur de tes yeux!"_

_[Was that of your eyes!]_

He maintained that last note for quite a long time, and loudly at that. Mundy was on another planet. His mind was empty and Lucien's voice flowed in his skull and resonated in his chest powerfully. When he finished singing, he went to change the disc again. The intro this time was a bit faster than for the previous track. Lucien lowered his head and closed his eyes, entirely focusing on the music. Then he started singing quietly, almost whispering.

" _J'ai attrapé un coup de soleil,"_

_[I caught a sunburn]_

Mundy was surprised by Lucien's voice. It sounded much more hoarse than it actually is...

_Un coup d'amour, un coup de je t'aime,"_

_[A hit of love, a hit of I love you]_

Actually, a soft hoarse voice worked beautifully with the melody and the lyrics.

_J'sais pas comment, 'faut que j'me rappelle,_

_[I don't know how, I need to remember]_

_Si c'est un rêve, t'es super belle,"_

_[If it's a dream, you're super beautiful]_

He sang a bit louder, raising his head slowly.

" _J'dors plus la nuit, J'fais des voyages,_

_[I can't sleep at night, I travel]_

_Sur des bateaux qui font naufrages..."_

_[On boats which go shipwreck]_

The piano soon kicked in with the chorus. Mundy was impressed at how much Lucien could act while singing. It looked like his body was singing as much as his voice. Sometimes, he would mimick the lyrics with his hands, other times, it's just a hand on his heart. Mundy fully realised how elastic Lucien's voice and body were with the next song. The intro was mainly the drums, then a synth keyboard and soon a bass. Lucien closed his eyes again and clicked his fingers in rythm. Mundy recognised the song instantly.

_That's 'Everythin' she wants' by George Michael... He can't sing that, surely...! Even more so after singin' with such a hoarse voice_! _Wait, whot?!_

Lucien opened his eyes and they shone fiercely. He started dancing as he sang. He tapped his right foot on the ground and his shoulders moved right and left slowly in rythm.

"Aaah-aaah ooh yeah!

Somebody told me

Boy everything she wants

Is everything she sees."

Mundy's jaw dropped.

_How the bloody hell can he sound like a young American bloke now?! He even nails the accent!_

"Somebody tell meee oooh!"

His knees bent in rythm on one leg while his hips moved seductively and in rythm with the song. The bright kimono and its belt flowing on his skin and shining in stripes with the light of the setting sun from the louvered shutters. Mundy couldn't believe his eyes.

" _Why I work so haaard for youuu_?"

His voice jumped an octave.

" _Sooomeboodyyy tell meee_!"

The high pitched singing surprised Mundy like a blunt arrow through his pumping and racing heart. The music faded away. Mundy's heart was still beating fast in his chest. He could feel the warmth of his blood flowing fast to his heart and his temples, even after the song ended. Lucien removed the disc. He had his back to Mundy.

"You may close your jaw now, _mon chaton._ "

Mundy was in utter awe. He couldn't say anything back. Lucien put the disc back in its place and put another one in. Meanwhile Mundy zoned back in real life and entered the living room. He couldn't even go all the way to Lucien as if he was only a dream and getting too close to him would make him disappear. The music started, a slow and mellow melody on the piano. And the singer started, reciting a poem. ( _Author's note: Listen to "Message Personnel" by Françoise Hardy at the same time for full experience! ;))_

" _Au bout du téléphone il y a votre voix,_

_[At the end of the telephone line, there is your voice]_

_Et il y a les mots que je ne dirai pas,_

_[And there are the words that I won't say]_

_Tous ces mots qui font peur quand il ne font pas rire,_

_[All these words that scare you when they're not said to make you laugh]_

_Qui sont dans trop de films, de chansons et de livres"_

_[Which are in too many movies, songs and books]_

Lucien turned his back and went to his lover's arms. He took Mundy's left hand in his right hand and raised it. He took Mundy's right hand with his left one and put it on his own waist. He then put his hand on Mundy's shoulder and leant his head on Mundy's chest. He was settling everything in place to dance with him. He then started taking a step on one side, then the other, in rythm with the song. Mundy got the rythm and started leading the steps. The song was slow and hypnotic. The drums and the choirs slided in, as well as a guitar and some violins. The drums grew more and more confident.

" _J'ai peur d'être indiscret,_

_je ne peux pas vous dire que"_

Lucien put a hand behind Mundy's neck and pulled him closer until his lips were in front of his ear. He whispered, in sync with the singer: " _Je t'aime."_. Mundy's ears got hot.

Suddenly, all the instruments died out. Lucien took a step back and started singing, the piano in the back gently supporting his voice.

" _Mais si tu crois un jour que tu m'aimes_

_[If some day you think you love me]_

_Ne crois pas que tes souvenirs me gênent,_

_[Don't think your memories are a problem for me]_

_Et cours, cours,_

_[And run, run]_

_Jusqu'à perdre haleine,_

_[Until you lose your breath]_

_Viens me retrouver."_

_[Come back to me.]_

Lucien's voice was bewitching but his eyes... They were half open, looking up to Mundy's eyes. Once again, he was singing to him, for him. And Mundy felt all the oxygen in the room had gone. Mundy's eyes were locked on Lucien's face, his eyes shining like ice drops under the stripe of setting sun that was entering through the louvered shutters.

" _Si le dégoût de la vie vient en toi,_

_[If life's bitter taste gets to you]_

_Si la paresse de la vie s'installe en toi,_

_[If life's laziness gets you]_

_Pense à moi,_

_[Think of me]_

_Pense à moi - aah_ "

_[Think of me]_

Lucien then let the singer sing the rest of the song. He put his head on Mundy's chest again and let him lead the dance. Mundy's heart was beating fast still and he wished Lucien wasn't too annoyed by it as he rested his head there. He bent his head over and his lips and nose brushed Lucien's hair. Lucien raised his head slightly and Mundy left a kiss on the white tuft of hair Lucien had on the front. Lucien smiled. Mundy kept gently rocking Lucien, from left to right, his grip still on Lucien's waist.

Mundy's fingers started travelling. They found the end of Lucien's tanktop, under the kimono and delicately slipped under it. The touch of Mundy's fingers on Lucien's side made him shiver. Lucien moaned and lowered his head to bury it in Mundy's chest deeper. He put his arms around Mundy's back. Mundy's other hand went to the back of Lucien's neck and held him close to himself. Lucien's hands travelled from Mundy's back to his chest. He started undoing the buttons of Mundy's shirt. Mundy felt the shirt pop open from the top down. _Pop... pop... pop..._ _pop... pop..._ Lucien's fingers traced their way back to Mundy's back but this time, his fingers carressed his very skin. Mundy let a moan of pleasure escape. Lucien rested his head now on Mundy's bare skin, on his chest.

_He must feel my heart race, I need to calm down._

Mundy tried breathing slower to calm his heart down but to no avail. Lucien now pushed Mundy's shirt over his shoulders and it slided on his arms. Mundy got rid of the shirt, it fell down. The touch of Lucien's skin on his own was too intense for him. He closed his eyes, bent his head down, resting it on Lucien's. The music wrapped them up close, securing a space of intimacy.

They stayed like that for a moment, enjoying the embrace, until Lucien raised his head. He looked at Mundy with dreamy eyes, his lips pursed in a smile.

"So, did you enjoy my singing?"

Mundy answered with a light nod of the head and a blink of both eyes.

"Oh by the way, you did better today, but you're still _mon petit_ _chaton."_

Mundy smiled.

"What gave you away is the key clicking in the lock. But you were better than this morning."

Mundy was vaguely listening to Lucien. He was listening to the voice more than the actual words. He bent his head slightly and, still carressing Lucien's bare skin with one hand, he put his other hand on his cheek.

" _Je te veux._ " [ _I want you_.]

He whispered, with a slight accent. Lucien's jaw slowly dropped, his eyes opening wide and his glistening pupils dilated like a cat in the dark. His breath stopped. Mundy bent his head down, slowly until their lips touched. Lucien wrapped his fingers around Mundy's neck and pushed himself on the tip of his toes. The touch of Mundy's lip was very delicate but hearing him say " _I want yo_ _u"_ in his mother tongue made Lucien lose his mind. His hand pulled on Mundy's neck without letting go of his lips. Obviously he couldn't see it but Mundy smiled faintly and blushed intensely.

Mundy felt Lucien's ardour and he deeply appreciated it. Feeling that he had been on the tip of his toes for quite a while, Mundy bent down and quickly put his arms under Lucien and pushing powerfully on his thighs, he lifted the Frenchman off the ground. Lucien immediately locked his legs behind Mundy's back. Mundy smiled again, his eyes still closed.

Lucien then added the _French_ to the kiss. Mundy walked backwards and rested his back on the wall. He let a long moan of pleasure escape this time. He couldn't feel the weight of Lucien in his arms anymore. He let Lucien lead the dance, in his mouth. It was slow, fluid and passionate. Lucien was a very good kisser. Mundy had utterly lost sense of time or anything else. He was entirely focusing and enjoying the taste of Lucien's love and boy, was he addicted to it...!

They broke the kiss for a moment.

"I didn't know that speaking French to you had that effect..."

Lucien smiled.

"It's not speaking French, it's _your_ speaking French, your voice, your accent... It... well, it has that strong an effect on me, especially with words like these..."

Mundy smiled.

_Then, I will make you lose your mind, now._

He then recited:

"Une orange sur la table

[An orange on the table]

Ta robe sur le tapis

[Your dress on the carpet]

Et toi dans mon lit

[And you in my bed]

Doux présent du présent

[Soft gift of the present]

Fraîcheur de la nuit

[Coolness of the night]

Chaleur de ma vie."

[Warmth of my life]

Lucien's jaw dropped again. Mundy smirked and said, imitating Lucien's voice and exaggerating a French accent:

"You may close your jaw now, _mon_ _chat_ "

Lucien smiled and raised an eyebrow.

"Eh! That's my sentence!"

Mundy smiled proudly. He moved to sit on the sofa as Lucien started to be quite heavy to carry. The latter let go of Mundy and, leaving a kiss on his cheek, went to the kitchen. Mundy sat down and stretched his fingers and arms.

"Bloody hell Lu', you're putting some weight on!"

From the kitchen, Lucien shouted his answer.

"Are you saying I am fat now?!"

"Yes I am!"

Lucien came back carrying a tray with a couple glasses, some fuits and lemonade. He put the tray on the coffee table.

"Ah, thanks luv'."

Lucien went back and took Mundy's shirt off the floor, he put it on the sofa next to Mundy as he sat down.

"The heat got me quite thirsty."

Mundy blushed. He wasn't sure if Lucien meant the actual temperature or the passionate moment of love they had just shared. Either way, he was right, Mundy could really do with a glass of fresh lemonade.

Lucien poured the cold beverage in a glass, added some ice cubes and handed it to Mundy. He then poured a glass for himself. Mundy started drinking.

"Ah, that's nice. Fresh and slightly sour."

"Oui, I don't like it too sweet."

Lucien sipped a bit of his lemonade when Mundy cheekily answered.

"Oh, I know you don't."

Lucien choked on his lemonade and started coughing.

"Hahaha! Gotcha!"

Mundy laughed heartily.

"Mon Dieu!"

Lucien coughed again.

"Ah, mon Dieu! You surprised me!"

"Who's the kitten now?"

Mundy said, looking as smug as he could with his eyebrows jumping up and down.

"Oh, you...! Just you wait for me to get rehydrated... You want some feline play, mh? You won't be disappointed...!"

Lucien winked and Mundy blushed.

"Well, while you finish your drink, I'm going to get a shower and slip into more comfy clothes."

"Alright... By the way, fancy anything in particular for dinner?"

"Nothing too heavy... I'd gladly have a salad or something fresh like that."

"Fine."

Mundy stood up and put his empty glass back on the tray. He headed for the bathroom but before entering he turned back to face Lucien's direction.

"Oi! And don't try and ninja-slip in the shower with me this time, you hear me?"

"Oh, alright, alright, I won't."

Mundy entered the bathroom. Lucien got busy in the kitchen. He prepared a salad and a cheese plate. He got a bottle of wine ready, red wine, a Bordeaux. That was among his favourites. He got the table ready and sat down, waiting for Mundy.

After a few minutes, Mundy exited the shower, only wearing a pair of boxer shorts. He came and sat at the table, opposite Lucien. His hair had grown long enough now that it was falling and hiding his eyes at the front.

"I like what I see..."

Lucien said, looking smug. Mundy blushed.

"Well it's bloody hot this evening..."

"Then I wish that summer lasted forever."

Mundy smiled and rolled his eyes up. Lucien shrugged.

"I am but a simple man..."

His smile was smug and devilish. He started helping Mundy to some salad.

"Though I must say, you should go and cut your hair, it's getting quite long."

"Yeah, true... I just don't know where to go get a haircut, do you have a place to recommend?"

He helped himself to the salad.

"But of course! Although it depends what type of haircut you want."

They both started eating.

"Lu', can I ask something?"

Mundy's tone of voice changed.

"Of course, anything _mon amour."_

"Have you thought about what you're going to do when Jeremy arrives?"

Lucien froze.

_**\-- Author's notes --** _

Thanks for reading guys :D !

Reviews are always greatly appreciated!

Also, I opened a discord server where I keep people posted about my progress and I post fan art as well. Feel free to join us **_only if you're 18 or over_** : usual link and /BPbVqct

Thanks and now, for Chapter 21!


	21. Chapter 21

Lucien froze. He resumed the cold blooded behaviour that was typical to him during the Mann Co. days.

"I don't know."

"Do you want to... uh... Prepare something for his arrival? And I thought that it might be better if I disappeared for the time bein'..."

Lucien quickly raised his head to look Mundy in the eye.

"What?"

"Well, he doesn't know for us... And he doesn't know you could be with... well... with a bloke... and add to that the fact I'm the Snoipah from the Mann Co. days..."

Lucien sighed and frowned.

_Merde, Mundy is right... How am I going to manage that?_

He put the fingers of his right hand on his eyes and rubbed them.

"And he's coming in a couple days now..."

Lucien growled.

"I mean, we've gotta think of somethin'..."

Questions were spiraling in Lucien's mind.

"Enough!"

Lucien shouted all of a sudden. Mundy opened wide eyes.

"I-"

Lucien interrupted him, his eyes flashing angrily.

"I don't know, alright?"

He thumped the table with his closed fist.

"I HAVE NO IDEA!"

In a fraction of a second Mundy saw what Lucien's father must have been like and it scared him as much as he hated it. He knew his lover could be the most romantic and soft spoken person, but he could also transform into an unstoppable tornado of rage.

Lucien stood up, his fork still in his left hand and his knife still in his right hand. He started pacing the room, his eyes locked on the carpet on the floor. Mundy stopped eating and followed Lucien's walking left and right with his eyes, like a tennis match.

"Should I go to the aiport for him? Is that too much? Should I then take him directly to the flat? Should I take him first to a café? But at some point he will have to come here? And then what? Introduce you to him?"

He raised his head suddenly and stopped walking for a second, facing the wall in front of him.

"But he knows you already! What am I going to do then with you?"

He resumed his walking.

"Hide you away while he's here? No! Of course not! I am not hiding you! That doesn't make any sense! I don't want to lie or hide anything anymore! And the whole point of him coming is that I am stopping these lies and hidden truths, so no! You will have to stay here! Then that means that he will have to face the truth. I am now with a man."

He stopped walking again, this time, in the middle of the room.

"What if he then decides that he doesn't want me in his life after that? What if he thinks that I'm... I'm..."

He opened wide eyes. He couldn't find the words in English, and even in French, his mind raced but to no avail. He clenched his fists.

"Lu'..."

Mundy's voice broke his train of thought. He now was thinking that he was pathetic, a good-for-nothing. He did even worse than his own father. He got that lady pregnant and left, she raised his son alone and now that they were going to properly meet, he would find him in a man's arms. _In a man's arms._ He disgusted himself. He dropped the fork. The metal cling as it hit the floor got muffled by the carpet.

_"M_ _ERDE!"_

He shouted as he let the knife fall from his left to his right hand and threw it towards the wall, in Mundy's direction but about a dozen centimetres away from his head. Mundy's reflexes kicked in and in the blink of an eye, he raised his arm and stopped the blade, mid air, as it flew past his ear.

Lucien's jaw dropped. He realised what he had just done. He got 12 cm away from throwing a knife at his dearest and beloved because of his incompetence as a decent man and father. He dropped to his knees on the floor. Mundy put the knife on the table and jumped to help his lover.

"I am such a failure."

Mundy crouched and sat next to his lover, putting his hands on his shoulder as if to mend his pieces back together.

"No you're not, Lu'..."

"I am!"

He powerfully punched the carpet on the ground next to him. The noise of his wrath got muffled by the carpet but the wave created by it made the carpet fibres bend, creating a wave similar to that of a pebble falling in a calm lake.

"I got her pregnant and left and now he is going to find me here, with a man... He is going to see me loving _a man._ He will be furious, and rightly so! That support and love I should have given to his mother I am now giving to another person and not anyone... _A man!_ And of course, that very man used to be a colleague _that we both worked with before!_ "

"Stop saying nonsense-"

"I am worse than my father..."

Mundy opened wide eyes. But this time, he was decided to make the tables turn. He would help his lover through the storm.

"No you're not! And in any case, stop comparing yourself to him!"

Lucien wiped the silent tears of rage that had started to stream on his face with his sleeve and looked at Mundy.

"Not everything has to be done to be _like_ or _unlike_ him! You are _your own man_ , bloody hell!"

He went silent for a second, just enough for his words to resonate in Lucien's skull.

"Lucien, you had to leave his mum, she didn't leave you any choice. You were going to leave your job and you past life for her. But you did a mistake and that's fine, we all do mistakes and it's waaay behind you now! The boy got raised as best he could by her and you know she did an amazin' job because you saw him in Mann Co., fighting men twice his size and age! He was a good teammate like any one of us, he was doing his best to beat the BLU team, like you or me..."

Lucien looked at him with his sad grey eyes.

"He is a good young boy and he is that good that he actually is givin' you a chance as a father. Now, stop panicking. I'm here with you, we're going to do this and you'll be fine."

Mundy took Lucien's chin between his fingers.

" _We will be fine._ I promise."

Lucien smiled but it was one of those smiles where even if the lips pursed, he could read a cry of help in Lucien's eyes.

"Come with me."

Mundy stood up and helped Lucien up. He took him by the shoulders and guided him to the bedroom.

"You lay in the bed and give me one minute, I'll be right back."

Lucien obeyed. Meanwhile Mundy went to the kitchen. He started the kettle and prepared two mugs. Each had a herbal tea bag. Mundy's mother used to drink lots of it and he happened to keep the habit. She would always say that there was no sadness that a cup of herbal tea and a good discussion couldn't cure. He poured the hot water in the cups and added one sugar and a spoon for Lucien's cup. He took the tray and headed for the bedroom. He found Lucien sat on the bed with his arms wrapped around his knees, his eyes locked in front of him, on the wall. He put the tray on the bed and hopped on the bed carefully.

"There, take this."

Lucien took the mug Mundy was handing him. He stirred the sugar with the spoon for a few seconds and was about to drink when Mundy prevented him.

"Wait, it's too hot. Put it back on the tray if it's too hot for you to hold."

Lucien did as told.

"Now, put your knees down... Roight, like that yeah... Now look at me..."

Lucien's eyes were locked on his legs. They seemed too long. He felt he was too big in the room. He wished he was but a mouse... Mundy put his hand on Lucien's thigh and started stroking it.

" _Mon amour... s'il te plaît..."_

[My love... please...]

Hearing Mundy speaking in French made him turn and look him in the eye.

" _Je t'aime et je veux tout faire pour t'aider."_

_[I love you and I will do anything to help you.]_

It seemed to Lucien that beyond the words, Mundy's accent was giving him an irresistible charm and his speech was almost a song given the music of his accent. It soothed him. Each word he said was like pouring cold water on a scorching hot blade. It would turn into steam quickly and diffuse in the air slowly but the blade would cool down under each drop.

_"On est dans cette situation tous les deux, toi et moi. Tu n'es pas seul... non, tu n'es plus seul. Je suis avec toi et ensemble, on va y arriver."_

_[We are in this together, you and me. You are not alone... no, you are not alone anymore. I am with you and together, we will make it.]_

Lucien was feeling something utterly new. He felt like even though Jérémy was _his_ son and in that regard, he was _his_ responsibility, he could unload some of the pressure to someone else. He had never felt that before. He used to always carry the weight of his issues on his shoulders, never sharing them with anyone. So he had never thought that anyone could actually carry part of his problems with him. For the first time in his life, it happened. And he felt the fear and anguish that was tiing his stomach into knots was going away.

Mundy put his fingers on Lucien's cup and feeling that it was less hot, he gave it back to him. Lucien drank some of it. He felt the beverage clear his mind like a wave of the sea erasing footprints in the sand.

_"Ne t'inquiète pas, on va y arriver."_

[ _Don't worry, we will make it.]_

Lucien finished drinking the herbal tea and put the cup back on the tray. Mundy had continued taking sips between sentences and he finished drinking as well. He put his cup back on the tray and put the tray on the floor, next to the bed. He pushed Lucien to lie on the bed. He then put his right hand on Lucien's chest and grabbed his right hand with his left one. He held it on his lips and kissed it. Feeling the comfort and softness from Mundy made Lucien find his tongue again.

" _Merci mon amour et pardon, je me suis comporté comme un idiot."_

[ _Thanks my love and sorry, I behaved like an idiot.]_

"It doesn't matter. What matters is that you're confident in yourself and in me. I promise that I will do anything possible for you to be happy."

He kissed Lucien's fingers again and felt his hand opening to carress his cheek. He bent his head on the side.

"Merci, mon amour."

"You're very welcome."

Lucien pulled on Mundy's cheek. The latter bent down until their faces were a few inches apart. Lucien looked straight at Mundy's eyes.

"You saved me from myself... again..."

Mundy smiled.

"And I'll gladly do it again."

He dived and kissed Lucien's lips. He quickly brushed his lips and withdrew. He sat up, next to Lucien.

"To come back to your worries, I'd say you pay a taxi to get Jeremy to a café. But tell the taxi to take the luggage here, I'll take it. You spend a bit of time with him at the café, maybe you could go on a walk or somethin'. Oh I know! Go to a park. Sit there with him on a bench and talk. Tell him about yourself but most of all listen to what he wants to tell you. And please, please, whatever he says, don't get angry. When you feel like you start being angry, don't think about your father. Think about me. Think about those kids Maman France is raising. They look up to you and I, well, I love you, quite simply and I don't want you to be angry."

Lucien was listening carefully. Mundy paused for a second.

"And at some point, when you feel like it's the right moment, tell him about us. But not too bluntly! I mean..."

Mundy scratched the back of his head.

"I don't know how I'm goin' to explain this... As a spook, you're used to keeping secrets, roight?"

Lucien nodded.

"Well, do the opposite now. Empty your heart. But it's like... It's like..."

Mundy's thoughts raced.

"Sappers!"

"Sappers?"

"Yeah, the stock one would make the sentry break in a couple seconds, roight?"

Lucien nodded.

"Well you don't want to be like that. You want to be the red tape recorder. You want to disable the sentry slowly, downgrading it level by level. You get me?"

Lucien found it adorable that Mundy was trying to explain himself with a jargon he was not totally familiar with. He nodded and smiled. Mundy smiled in return.

"I will do as you say. Merci _mon ange._ " [ _my angel]_

Lucien smiled.

"I owe you some amazingly good advice now, Mundy."

Mundy smiled. He looked left and right, as if he was looking for something.

"What's the matter, mon amour?"

Mundy looked displeased.

"Well... That hot herbal tea got me really hot..."

"And?"

"Well... It's not like I can remove any layer of clothes!"

Mundy had been in his boxer shorts since he exited the shower. Lucien saw an _opportunity_ there and smirked.

"Well, you technically still can..."

His eyebrows jumped up and down. Seeing Lucien play the smug irresistible Frenchman again soothed Mundy's heart. The storm had been successfully mastered.

"Yeah but it's not goin' to change much, roight?"

Lucien raised his eyebrows and still looking as smug as the devil, he answered.

"Speak for yourself..."

Mundy sighed, smiling.

"... Oh I nearly forgot, _mon chaton_."

Lucien sat up. He pushed Mundy to lie on the bed.

"I did promise that I would show you _some feline play_ , didn't I?"

Mundy smiled in anticipation.

"Yeah, you did."

"In that case..."

Lucien quickly hopped off the bed and switched the lamp on the nightstand on. He then went to the main light and switched it off. He headed for the window and opened it but closed the louvered shutters. He came back on the bed.

"Is that it?" Asked Mundy, just to provoke Lucien. And it didn't miss.

"Of course not _, mon chaton._ But for the rest, we have to make sure you're no longer a baby cat..."

"Uh?"

"Well, it wouldn't be appropriate to do such things with an infant..."

Mundy smiled.

"Mate, I'm nearly as old as you."

"In that case, be prepared..."

Mundy raised an eyebrow like a question mark. Lucien whispered.

"...because I will make you so hot you _will_ _have_ to remove that last layer of yours..."

Lucien climbed on top of Mundy and kissed him. He felt Mundy's hands on his cheeks travelling down to his neck and shoulders. He pushed the kimono behind. It flowed down along Lucien's arms and without breaking the kiss, he got rid of it. Mundy's fingers slipped under the tanktop again. They both breathed louder. Lucien was now sure that one thing Mundy couldn't resist, was his tongue. So he slowly added it to the play. Mundy moaned intensely. Lucien smiled. He made Mundy fall with agility and mastery. The Australian hand tightened his grip on Lucien at first but now he had completely loosened it. He couldn't control anything anymore. Lucien broke the kiss and remove his tanktop quickly. His lips came back in Mundy's neck nibbling softly all the way to his collarbone. Mundy couldn't feel anything anymore but the light buzzes where Lucien's lips or tongue were.

Suddenly, as Lucien was travelling more and more down, he felt _it._ He knew that now, he could take that last layer off Mundy. He knew that it was what Mundy craved. So he did. He put his hands on each side of Mundy's pelvis, on the fabric of the boxer shorts and pulled down gently. There was no doubt. Mundy was loving it. Lucien threw the last layer of clothes away and, slightly pushing Mundy's legs apart, got busy to make Mundy lose his mind, which he successfully did, as the long moan confirmed. Mundy put his right hand in Lucien's hair and grasped it firmly. It was no longer light buzzes. The pulses of pleasure grew more and more intense. Mundy could neither feel nor control his legs anymore. The only thing he could do is sink deeper and deeper in pleasure under Lucien's power. And so he could not resist the free fall anymore and yielded to it. Without a parachute or any safety net at the bottom, he fell into that bottomless pit that Lucien was dragging him into. But with growing intensity, he found it harder and harder to breathe. He felt his heart beat in his chest and the rush of blood to the head made his temples beat in rythm as well. He grasped the bedsheet with his left hand, digging with his very nails. The fall was about to end. He could feel it.

"Lucien..."

Mundy half whispered. Lucien raised his eyes and smiled devilishly. Mundy looked down and saw his eyes shine fiercely. He removed his hand from Lucien's head and grasped the bedsheet to his right and left while closing his eyes and frowning. The pulses of pleasure were growing more and more intense. The free fall would end very soon, he could see the ground, clearer and clearer, growing bigger and bigger as he was approaching.

"Lu-"

_BOOM._

He hit the ground, at full speed. He felt all his muscles contract at the same time as he tightened his clench to the bedsheets. His whole body jerked up as he moaned loudly, gritting his teeth. All the tension Lucien had built up during the long fall was gone in an instant.

He breathed loudly, still dizzy and unable to open his eyes. He put a hand on his chest, to try and calm down. Lucien sat up and smiled. He was proud, terribly so. He lied down, next to his lover, resting his head on his shoulder and put his hand on top of Mundy's, on his chest. He felt Mundy's heart racing and his ribcage going up and down quickly. It took him a few minutes to calm down.

"Wow... Thank you, Lu'..."

"Non, mon amour, thank _you._ "

Mundy opened his eyes slowly. The faint light of the lamp was too bright for him. It took him a couple seconds and some blinking for his pupils to retract back to their normal size.

"You're amazin', luv'."

"If I'm amazing, then there are truly no words to describe you, may it be in English or French..."

He took a deep breath.

"... As always, Maman France was right."

Mundy raised an eyebrow.

_**\-- Author's notes --** _

Oof! That was a hot one eh?

Let me know what you thought please! I hope I didn't go too far with this one.

And stay tuned for Chapter 22 :) !


	22. Chapter 22

"Maman France was right, once again."

Mundy raised an eyebrow.

"About what?"

"About you."

"What do you mean?"

"Remember the last thing she said to you?"

"Uhm.. I guess it was something like 'Mundy, you show Lucien how to be kind', roight?"

"Oui, and that's exactly what you just did. To be completely honest, I am the one taken aback now..."

"Why?"

"Well, in the Mann Co. days, you were so... _solitary_. You'd always be alone."

"So did you."

"Ah, true. But I would never have thought you could... well, don't take it badly please but back in those days I would never have thought you could give good advice on situations like these..."

Mundy put a hand on Lucien's head and lost his fingers in his silky black and grey hair.

"That's exactly what being solitary gives you. It gives you plenty o'time to think."

"About what?"

"Everything! About yourself, about your family, about what you want and what you don't want... Also, bein' around when people are talking but not saying a word, just observin'... It's very useful, that's how I get to know people."

Lucien smiled and chuckled a bit.

"Whot?" Mundy said, chuckling as well.

"Getting information on how people are by observing, are we know?"

"Yeah, why're you laughin' now?"

"That's a very... _spook_ thing to do, as you'd say!"

Mundy laughed.

"Hahaha! I guess so, yeah..."

Lucien raised his head to look up at Mundy. The latter kissed his forehead. Lucien answered with a smile.

"In any case, don't overthink."

"What do you mean?"

"You have a tendency to think everythin' is in your control and you can plan everything."

"Wha-?"

Mundy raised his index finger.

"This time, no, just don't. Be a good dad and just listen to the kid. Whatever he tells you, don't be too... _French_."

Lucien raised his head again, his eyebrow up.

"That means don't be judgemental. He is a _kid_ , you've been a kid before, you know how you can do or think ridiculous things at that age. And he is..."

Mundy raised his index finger and Lucien's eyes followed it like a cat with a laser pen. Mundy put his index finger on the tip of Lucien's nose, making him squint.

"... _you_ _r_ kid. So be nice with him, alroight?"

Lucien smiled and rolled his eyes up. He liked when Mundy was giving him life lessons. He felt like someone was caring for him. He loved that feeling.

" _Oui Chef!_

"Ah, sorry, am I bein' too bossy now?"

"Yes, you are."

"Ah... sorry luv'."

"Don't be..."

Lucien raised himself up just enough that his lips were on Mundy's ear. He whispered.

"….I like it."

Mundy blushed and his ears got warm.

"Well, glad to know. But we're havin' a problem here."

Lucien withdrew from Mundy's ear and looked at him, surprised and worried.

"What?"

"Well, you're still wearing some layers here and I'm... well... I'm not."

"You want my kimono trousers?"

Mundy rolled on his side so that he was now towering Lucien who was lying in bed.

"I want them... _o_ _ff._ "

Lucien smirked.

"Well, you will have to work for that! I did have to put some effort in for your to end up like this!"

"Roight, roight..."

"And..."

Lucien put his fingers on Mundy's chin and pulled him to himself.

"... I'm going to make sure it's not easy!"

He winked.

"Oh, I see... Well, I accept this challenge, _Monsieur Lucien..._ But be warned."

Lucien raised en eyebrow.

"By the end, you're going to have to reconsider my status as a kitten."

"Oh, will I? Impress me then, I am waiting."

Lucien was smiling when Mundy rushed to his lips. He knew that the Frenchman liked a good change of rythm. He kissed him powerfully, breathing louder and louder. He pinned Lucien to the bed, locking his hands on Lucien's arms firmly to the bed. Had he wanted to struggle, Lucien could not escape Mundy's powerful arms. He tried but the grip was too strong. He soon got tired of trying, his arms went numb. He then felt Mundy's thin lips on his neck, soon, his very teeth were claiming Lucien's neck as their territory. The Frenchman moaned loudly. He felt like a gazelle under a powerful panther's grip and, the more he thought of it, the less he could resist it... Mundy's lips and teeth continued to travel south, still maintaining Lucien pinned. He made a stop at Lucien exposed chest, seeing that his hair there sarted to respond, he spent some time kissing, nibbling and even biting; to which Lucien responded by a short yet intense moan. As it was impossible for him to move his arms, his whole body raised up and twisted right and left slightly. The enchanting spell Mundy was casting with his lips was pulling him up to the high skies of pleasure. Mundy smiled. He liked to see that he could have _that much_ effect on his lover. On top of that, it was the best encouragement he could hope for to continue. He released his grip on Lucien's arms and, sliding his fingers delicately between Lucien's skin and the fabric of his clothes, he pulled powerfully. The kimono trousers and underwear flew out of Mundy's way. Lucien smiled and put a hand on his chest, trying to catch his breath. Mundy smirked, seeing that Lucien _was very much in the mood for more._ He climbed back on Lucien and dived to his mouth. He felt Lucien's long, thin yet powerful fingers on his face, ruffling his hair and sideburns. He slipped a hand down south and Lucien's moan went crescendo until Mundy took complete control of Lucien. He couldn't think anymore, the rushes of pleasure that Mundy was causing grew more and more intense. Mundy felt that Lucien was so deeply possessed by the Devil of lust that he even gave up kissing. Mundy led him into a state where he could only be the victim of his lover's charm and skills. His breathing became erratic and moaning asked for too much breath so he gave it up as well. Lucien's body was now Mundy's instrument and what a virtuoso he once again proved to be! Mundy's symphony suddenly went from adagio to allegro as his mouth sank back south. Lucien closed his eyes, he had no more energy to keep them open and wanted to focus all his ressources to what was happening elsewhere, feeling everything as intensely as his body would allow, trying to make it last as long as he could. With the accelerating rythm of Mundy's play, Lucien found it harder and harder to resist. He wanted it to last longer, he was fighting for it, but Mundy led his orchestra very masterfully to the fermata. At this point, Lucien knew he could not fight anymore. He would have to overcome his body and Mundy's will. One he could easily tame, the other, he did not want to. And so, he gave in.

" _Mon amour!"_

His whole body jerked up as he dug his heels in the bed, grabbing the bedsheets violently. A shockwave propagated from the epicentre of the earthquake Mundy created to his head, as a wave of blood pumped up violently in his temples, washing away all sense of reality.

Mundy slided on the bed to lie next to his lover who was still trying to catch his breath. He lied on his side, resting his head on his hand. Lucien opened his eyes slowly. Mundy looked at him, following his slow fluttering eyelashes and the reflection of the light from the lamp on Lucien's clear eyes.

"So... I now have one question for you."

Lucien's eyes turned slowly to look at Mundy.

" _Who is the small kitten now?"_

Lucien lips pursed in a smile. He calmed his breath and answered.

"Fine... After that, you can only be a panther..."

\-- _Day of Jérémy's arrival --_

"Look at this! A couple years younger and I would have been on catwalks..."

Lucien was trying to hide his nervousness behind his overconfidence. He had come to the living room wearing a dark blue suit. The tie was dark blue with a pearl pin on it and the handkerchief in his pocket was white, and made of satin so it shone slightly. He had shaved and his hair was impeccably arranged, the white tuft at the front standing proudly and elegantly. Mundy had been reading on the sofa. He raised his eyes to look at Lucien.

_Gorgeous, as always._

He had known him for a bit of time now, so after a couple seconds, during which he appreciated the view, he went straight to the point.

"You nervous?"

Lucien sighed.

"Oui, very much so."

Mundy put his book aside and got off the couch. He went to Lucien and put his hands on his shoulders.

"Lu', you'll be fine. Stop overthinkin' about it. Here is what will happen. You'll go and wait for him at a café, he will arrive and you'll chat together. Then, when you think it's time for a change of scenery, go to that public park... what's it called again?"

" _Les Jardins du Luxembourg."_

"Yeah, that one, go there and sit on a bench. Chat a bit more and then... hop, back home! How hard can it be?"

Lucien raised his eyes to meet Mundy's.

"I don't want to give the wrong impression..."

Mundy sighed.

"Look, it's simple. What do you want in the end?"

Lucien fell deep in thought.

"Uhm... I'd like him to forgive me. I'd like him to call me from time to time and tell me what's new in his life, what he likes, what he is doing..."

"Do you think you are ready to fully accept him in your life?"

"What a weird question! Of course I am!"

Mundy raised his index finger. The answer was too quick and he started feeling something boiling in Lucien.

"Nah, that doesn't sound roight."

"Wha-?"

"Lucien!"

Mundy spoke louder and Lucien stopped talking instantly. The Frenchman was taken aback by the strong voice Mundy could pull out. He had always heard him speak softly. However, Mundy wanted Lucien to fully appreciate the size of the responsibility, which he was not sure he had thought about. Lucien frowned and lowered his head. Mundy came back to speaking normally.

"I just want you to think for a bit and appreciate what you're saying."

"Thank you mon amour... I guess what I try to say here is that I want to try and be a good father. Someone he can rely on when he needs, or even when he doesn't need it. And for that, yes, I am willing to sacrifice my money, my time, my patience, everything."

"There you go. Now you're ready."

Lucien raised his head, surprised.

"I just put you in the right mood. Now go, before the arrogant Frenchie comes back!"

Lucien smiled and nodded. He walked towards the door. He stopped by the coathanger and put his vest on.

"Thank you again, Mundy."

Mundy sat back on the sofa.

"No worries, luv'."

Lucien opened the front door as Mundy took his book back and opened it. He was about to resume his reading when...

"By the way..."

Mundy raised his head. Lucien's head was peeking out of the door, he looked smug with one eyebrow up.

"Try and dare tell me you don't find the _arrogant Frenchie_ irresistible!"

Mundy grabbed one of the nearby cushions and threw it at him.

"I won't answer that because you already know! Now go!"

Lucien closed the door laughing to himself. He turned and faced the street. He took a deep breath.

_Allons-y._

[Let's go.]

_**\-- Author's notes --** _

Thanks for reading and as always, your impressions are more than welcome! :)

Special thanks to _Deathtothecrows_ for their amazing feedback :D !

See y'all for Chapter 23! :)


	23. Chapter 23

Lucien stopped a taxi in the streets and gave him the instructions. He then walked to the café where Jérémy was supposed to meet him. He had chosen a place where he did not know the staff or anyone in the area. He wanted to give his full attention to the young man and not risk being interrupted by people. He had thought about all that and came to the conclusion that _Le Café du Parc_ , being not that far from the _Jardins du Luxembourg_ , would do nicely.

He soon arrived at the café where he chose to sit on the terrace, under a parasol. A waiter came around and he ordered a lemonade. He took his cigarette case out and lit one, smoking it slowly. He knew that if he smoked it quickly, he would find himself slurping a whole pack away, like an endless spaghetti, as he was quite nervous even despite Mundy's words. He took a sip of his lemonade but didn't feel its taste. His throat and mouth were dry so he kept on drinking. He felt the collar of his shirt was tightened too strongly so he slided a finger between the fabric and his skin and pulled on it a bit. He took a deep breath. His eyes followed each and every car as it passed by, waiting for the taxi. He looked at his watch.

_11 o'clock. He should arrive shortly._

He stubbed his cigarette out in the ashtray and finished his lemonade. A black car stopped in front of the terrace. He raised his eyes and as he recognised the silhouette of the passenger, his breath stopped. He stood up and went to the car door. The taxi driver nodded as if to say hello again to Lucien but did not leave the driver's seat. Lucien nodded back and opened the passenger's door. Jérémy raised his eyes and smiled.

"Hey! Lucien, how you doin'?"

Lucien smiled back. He extended his hand for Jérémy to shake. Jeremy grabbed his hand but to Lucien's surprise, he went directly for a hug.

"I am fine, thank you. Uhm, driver, please?"

"Yes, sir."

Lucien closed the car door and motioned Jérémy to the table he was sat at previously. They both sat down.

"How was the flight?"

"Very cool, yeah, we didn't get any delay so that's nice. Also, the weather is as nice here as it is in Boston!"

Lucien smiled. He was genuinely happy to see his son. While he was speaking, Lucien was looking at him with a lot of attention. His hair had grown longer and looking again, he slowly saw a picture of Jérémy's mother through him. He had her nose and her smile. His eyes were big like hers but their colour was between her deep blue and his silver grey. He was still speaking with his usual American accent and the slang that people of his age are used to.

"Ces Messieurs ont choisi?"

[The gentlemen have made their choice?]

The voice of the waiter broke Lucien's train of thoughts. He took Lucien's previous glass of lemonade, now empty, and put it on his tray.

"Would you like anything, Jérémy?"

"Ah, yeah, a coke would be nice."

"Un coca-cola et une limonade s'il vous plaît."

[A coke and a lemonade please.]

"Très bien."

[Very well.]

The waiter went away and Jérémy resumed his speech.

"So yeah, I haven't been doin' much after Mann Co.. I had the odd job here and there... The latest one is actually a waiter in a restaurant."

"Do you enjoy this job?"

"I kinda do, yeah, the colleagues are nice, most customers are nice as well. Though, to be honest, I worked in a very quiet restaurant, so not too much to do. I wish I could do more cause sometimes it gets really borin'... Also, I'm playing baseball with some friends o'mine, nothing too serious but I've always loved baseball so it's kinda nice."

Lucien smiled and blushed slightly. He wanted to say something but then he remembered Mundy's words so he remained silent.

"What about you, anythin' exciting? D'you work?"

"Yes, I do. I sing in a restaurant every saturday."

"Really?!"

"Yes, you sound so surprised!"

Lucien chuckled.

"Man, I never knew you could sing!"

The waiter arrived and put the coke and lemonade on the table. Lucien nodded in thanks and Jérémy tried his French!

" _Merci!"_

Lucien took his glass and raised an eyebrow when he heard Jérémy's French. He had a much thicker accent than Mundy but was still very clear to understand. The waiter nodded and went away.

"So, you sing?"

"Yes, I do."

"What kind of songs?"

"French classics but also English or American famous pop songs. I am the lead singer but I am part of a band so I am always accompanied by musicians."

Lucien sipped his lemonade.

"Oh, that's so cool! What instruments are there in your band?"

Lucien counted them on his fingers as he enumerated them while Jérémy took a sip of his coke.

"We have a drummer, a bassist, a pianist, a couple choirists, a couple violins, a guitar player..."

He blushed slightly.

"... and a saxophone player."

Jérémy did not notice and kept enjoying his cool beverage.

"That's quite a large band!"

"Yes, indeed."

"D'you have a name?"

"For the band?"

"Yeah."

"Oh, actually we don't... But you're right, we would need one. If you have ideas, let me know."

"Oh, right, yeah, ok. But it's be better if I first saw a show."

"Why don't you come on Saturday? I can get you a good table in the restaurant and you could watch us play."

"Yeah, thanks, I will! Oh man, that's exciting!"

Jérémy raised his glass and drank his coke. He put the glass back on the metallic table.

"So, apart from the shows, d'you do anythin'?"

Lucien blushed again, this time a bit more intensely.

"Uhm... I... I teach French."

"To kids, in a school?"

"Non, it's private lessons, to an adult... a _very good friend._ "

He tried hiding his blushing behind his nearly empty glass of lemonade.

"Oh, that's nice of you. I could do with some lessons too. I did take French at school. Ma' always insisted on it and she'd always try to make it speak at home. But growing up, we both got lazy and I spoke less and less French. Now would be ideal to train! Would you help me?"

"Mais bien sûr."

[But of course!]

"Merci!"

"De rien, mon fils."

[You're welcome, son.]

Hearing those words ' _mon fils'_ made Jérémy radiate with a big smile. He was proud to be Lucien's son. He wanted to get to know him, maybe live in Paris for a while, see how things go. They both finished their beverages.

"Shall we? There is a nice park nearby, we could chat there, the scenery is more pleasant."

"Sure! Let's go!"

Lucien left the money for the drinks on the table and both started walking, Jérémy staying close to his father.

"So, Jérémy, may I ask... How is your mother?"

"Well, I told her that I'd be coming to see you. She was first outraged, we argued for quite a long time but my mind was set. I wanna get to know you, I've always wanted to know my dad. So I calmly explained it to her and she finally understood."

"Mmh. I see."

They crossed the street and arrived at the Jardins du Luxembourg. They kept on walking until they found a bench which was conveniently put in a tree's shade. Lucien motioned Jérémy to sit down.

"Is she still angry at me after all these years?"

"A bit. But less so now she has a new boyfriend, I mean, companion."

"Oh."

Lucien did not dare ask more even though he was curious. Luckily for him, the young man did not need to be pushed to talk.

"He's a nice guy. I like him and she's happy with him."

"Ah, it's good then. I imagine you must be happy that she has found someone to rely on."

"Yeah, it's true. I have always been very protective of her but now, it is not my duty anymore, which is cool."

"Good."

"What about you, Lucien?"

Lucien felt hot. He wanted to earn some time, a wave of anxiety grasped him.

"I... I have also found someone and I think it's the right person."

"Oh, will I meet her?"

Lucien started sweating.

"Uhm, yes, uhm... I was going to introduce you to... uhm.."

Jérémy looked sad.

"You didn't tell her about me, right?"

"What?"

"You're all nervous all of a sudden so I'm thinking that you didn't tell her about me. You must have told her you were off for a walk or somethin'..."

Lucien went pale.

"And now you're stuck between her and me..."

Jérémy got angry.

"Really? Are you still the same lying, cheating Spy that you were back in Mann Co.? I'm starting to understand why Ma' didn't want me to meet you."

He lowered his head and spoke softly.

"She said I'd be disappointed."

' _Disappointed'_

The word resonated in Lucien's mind like a priest ringing the bells of the cathedral of Notre-Dame, loudly, sending waves so powerful that his ears hurt.

"Non!"

Lucien thumbed his fist on the bench he stood up and started walking away. Jérémy opened wide eyes in surprised and startled slightly. He jumped after his father.

"Wait, you're gonna let me there in the middle of nowhere?!"

Lucien growled.

"Shut up and follow me!"

Jérémy obeyed. It was a good half an hour walk during which both father and son were quiet. Jérémy was completely lost in thought.

_Did I push him too far? I'm right though! He's always been like that! Lying, deceiving, manipulatin'... And now that I dare tell him the truth right at his face he gets angry! It hurts because it's true!_

Lucien stopped walking thus breaking Jérémy's train of thought. The young man raised his head and looked around him. The landscape had completely changed from luxurious gardens to soulless grey and dull buildings. They were in a cul-de-sac.

"Now, let me explain myself, Jérémy."

Lucien cleared his throat. The sound resonated on the concrete walls. He got a cigarette out of his case and lit it. He put it at his mouth and started pacing the lonely alley.

" _Bien,_ as I said, I found someone. I love that person like I have rarely loved anyone before. We've been living together for a couple of months now. We play together in the band, the best player I've ever seen, which surprised me, I must say."

"Oh, so that's how you've met, through the band?"

He stopped walking, he was next to the wall and turned to Jérémy.

"Non, we had met years ago..."

He put his finger around his collar and pulled on it again.

"I don't know how to say that..."

Jérémy was growing more and more curious.

"Just say it, whatever it is, I mean you're startin' to scare me, it's like you're gonna tell me something really serious now."

"It's nothing too serious... It's just... unusual... and..."

It was the first time Jérémy saw his father so unconfident.

"Do you remember that person you had on the phone when you first called me?"

"Yeah I do, that guy sai-"

Jérémy stopped talking instantly, gasped and opened wide eyes.

_Ça y est, il a compris._

_[That's it, he got it.]_

"It's _him?_

Lucien blushed and nodded. He lowered his head, his eyes locked on his feet. He did not want to face Jérémy's look or reaction. He closed his eyes and hunched his back slightly as he felt Jérémy's eyes judging him and he wished he could be small, tiny, microscopic.

"You're... with a man?"

Still looking at the ground, Lucien answered.

"Oui."

His answered resonated in his head until...

"And he's your sax player?"

Lucien nodded.

"... And he's not French?"

Lucien raised his head.

"He's not. How do you...?"

"When I called, he answered in English without any French accent. Wait a second... I remember I said it to him right before the line cut..."

Lucien lowered his head again and turned his head towards the wall. He could hardly bear the pressure of Jérémy's questions and the potential loss of trust that could be entailed by their answers.

"... He had a weird accent... an austrailan accent Australian... Is he Australian?"

Lucien nodded slightly.

"Oh, wait, he's Australian and plays the saxophone?!"

Lucien closed his eyes and frowned. He felt as if he was in a plane and the engine had stopped. The plane had bent and was now plummetting.

"Don't tell me he's..."

Lucien's breath stopped, his heart raced, he could hear his heartbeat and he could almost see his heart bouncing on his chest. He put his hand on the wall and held on to it but it was too late, the plane was crashing and Lucien saw the ground clearer and clearer...

"... _Sniper_?"

The plane crashed. The cockpit was the first to hit the ground and flew, exploding to smithereens. The landing gear could not absorb the shock and got crushed between the ground and the body of the plane. That made the plane bend slightly to one side and one of the wings got mowed by the ground as it embraced it. It deflected the plane from a straight trajectory and sent it spinning round, like a circle in a spiral, like Lucien's emotions and thoughts.

"Oh... It _is_ the Sniper..."

Lucien put his fingers on his eyes.

"That's... surprising... I didn't know you guys got along that well. Even though, now that I think about it, you're quite similar."

Lucien removed his hand and looked at Jérémy, with a blank stare of surprise.

"Yeah, you are! I mean, no offense but you were both playing the lonely game. We never knew what you guys were thinkin' at all, ever! You were both super taciturn and spending all your time in a lair like foxes. Sniper in his van and you in your smokin' room. And there are common points in your jobs..."

Jérémy started counting on his fingers.

"You both kill people you pick carefully. You have to be patient and wait for the best opportunity to take your ennemy down. You both need to remain unseen and you're almost instantly dead if the ennemy finds you before you kill them!"

Jérémy ended up smiling. Lucien's heart calmed down.

"Wait, were you together at Mann Co. ?"

Lucien shook his head.

"Non, we were not."

"Alright, so how did you come to get together then?"

"Wait, you still want to talk to me?"

"Yeah, o'course, why wouldn't I?"

Lucien straightened his back and release his grip from the wall.

"After what you've just learned, you could see me like a..."

He thought of Mundy and a word popped in his head, a word he would never had thought of, had he not met Mundy. It was when Lucien saw Mundy's scar on his bare chest that the Australian had used that word.

"... _freak?"_

Jérémy bent his head slightly.

"No offense but to me, you already were."

Lucien's jaw dropped. He went to sit on a crate. Jérémy followed him and sat on another one, facing him.

"I mean we all were, all the people from Mann Co.! Think of the Doc', think of Demo!"

"You're... fine with... _that situation?_

"Yeah, why would I mind? It's your lover, not mine, thank you very much, I wouldn't want him or any man to get close to me!"

Lucien took a deep breath and sighed loudly.

"I was so worried you wouldn't want to speak to me after I told you the truth."

"I mean, don't get me wrong, I am very surpised! I thought you were great with the ladies, you must have been, right? That's how Ma' describes you."

"Yes, I did have my success with the ladies."

Lucien smiled in nostalgia of those times.

"So you're also great with men?"

Lucien laughed now. He felt like his boat went successfully through the storm.

"Non, Mundy is the only man I have felt like that for."

"Oh, ok... But you still haven't answered my question."

"Which was?"

"How did you... well... _properly meet?"_

Lucien hopped off his crate and took a cigarette. He lit it with a smile and extended his hand to Jérémy.

"Why don't you follow me and you can ask the both of us?"

Jérémy took his father's hand and hopped off his crate.

"Sure!"

Lucien lead the way back to his flat. He was feeling light, so light. He was filled by this strange feeling, a mix of satisfaction, victory and happiness. He was hopeful.

"And what about you, have you found someone to share your days with?"

"Nah, I haven't yet..."

"Are you looking for someone?"

"Kinda, yeah. I tried countless times to approach some girls but it never works."

"I could show you, if you wanted."

"Really?"

"Of course! But you know what would be even funnier?"

"What?"

Lucien winked.

"Make sure you find yourself alone with Mundy and ask him to help you with that."

"What?!"

"I bet you 100 Francs that he will, precisely in that order, blush, open wide eyes and trip over his words!"

Lucien was laughing in advance. Jérémy gently shoved his father with his elbow.

"That's unfair! You know him better than I do! You know how he will react!"

"It is true. Now, to spice things up, what if I bet that he will _not_ help you with that?"

"That ain't very nice, you're not believing he would help me?"

Lucien smirked.

_Oh, Jérémy, I know he will. I just need to tell him one sentence and I'd wager my entire bank account, my flat and my car that in a couple months, if not weeks, you will be with someone._

He answered, lying, but this time he did lie for a good reason.

"I am convinced he will not. But his reaction will be worth a good laugh!"

There arrived in front of a black wooden door. Lucien put a hand in his pocket and took a key out.

" _Bien, allons-y."_

[Right, let us go.]

_**\-- Author's notes --** _

Thanks for reading y'all! :D

As always comments/reviews are greatly appreciatedand push me to go on :)

See y'all around for number 24! :D


	24. Chapter 24

"Roight..."

Mundy sank in the sofa. His eyes were reading the lines of the book he was holding but his mind was elsewhere. He kept on reading the same few pages again and again until it got on his nerves. He sighed.

_I hope Lu' is not too anxious._

He put his book aside and looked on his left, through the window.

_I trust him. It seemed really important for him to reconnect with his son. Quite incredible how he completely changed from the Mann Co. days..._

He threw the book on the armchair and looked at his watch.

_11 o'clock_. _He should get to Lu' shortly._

He got up and headed to the kitchen. He was not hungry but needed to eat something, get his teeth to destroy something, to eat away the mix of anticipation and anxiety he was sharing with his lover.

_An apple._

He took one from the fruit bowl and bit into it. He went back to the living room and headed to the window. He opened it and pushed the louvered shutters. He then leant his elbows on the windowsill. The weather was beautiful, as it had been for the past couple of weeks. The sun was cooking his skin. He liked that feeling, it reminded him of his life in the Outback. He bit in the apple and looked down at the busy street. People were coming and going, cars and bicycles were passing by. At some point, a police car attracted his attention and went away, its siren dying in the distance. A black car stopped at the entrance of the building.

_Ah, must be the taxi._

Mundy rushed out of the flat, leaving the half eaten apple on the windowsill and grabbing his wallet on his way out.

"Merci beaucoup."

[Thanks a lot.]

"Voici la valise."

[Here is the suitcase.]

Mundy took his wallet out of his back pocket.

"Pas la peine, votre ami a déjà tout réglé."

[No need for that, your friend already arranged everything.]

"Oh, ok."

The taxi nodded to say goodbye, got back to his car and drove away. Mundy sighed. He took the suitcase and climbed the stairs in the building, finally arriving at Lucien's black front door. He entered, headed directly to the guest room and left the suitcase on the bed. He smiled.

_Were the roles reversed, Lu' would have opened the suitcase and gone through everything, looking for God knows what piece of information there is to learn about someone's luggage..._

He headed back to the living room, put his wallet back on the small table at the entrance, next to the coathanger and resumed his place at the windowsill. He took the apple again and bit it. In the buidling opposite him he could watch the neighbours, each through their windows, as if it was a mosaic of television screens. That young couple was cuddling on the sofa. He bit in the apple again. That old man was reading the newspaper while his wife was knitting . He took the last bit of the apple. Further to the left a young boy was playing the guitar...

_Oh, I could rehearse some sax bits..._ .

He turned to head to his sax stand and from there he threw the apple core in the bin.

_Spot on, I still got it._

He smiled, grabbed his instrument, put the strap around his neck and started playing.

_First, finger warm ups._

He repeated the same fifteen notes or so going up and down in pitch for a couple minutes. He felt his fingers go from rigid to flexible and his breath was more consistent. He moved on to some pieces he used to play back in Australia. It reminded him of his parents.

_It's been a while since I last called them..._

He put the instrument aside and went to the telephone. His fingers dialled the number automatically.

_Beep... Beep... Beep..._

"Hello?"

"Hello, mum?"

"Micky?"

"Yeah, it's me."

"Oh! My Micky, it's been such a long time, we started worryin' with your dad. How are you, dear?"

"I'm great Mum, thanks."

"How is France? Are you still there ?"

"France is lovely. I've only seen Paris but I love it, it's a great city. And yeah, I'm still there, I found myself a good job and I like the life here."

"Oh, what do you do?"

"During the day, I work in one of the biggest zoos of the region and during he night I rehearse some pieces with some friends. I play every Saturday evenin' in a restaurant, with quite a big band."

"Aw, that sounds lovely and you sound so much happier! Have you managed to find that French colleague of yours?"

Mundy blushed.

"Uhm, yeah, yeah I did."

"Perfect! How is he? Was he happy to see you?"

"Ye-yeah he was... Actually he's the singer in the band. It's thanks to him that I found that night job."

"Very well, what a good friend he is, see! I told you you had good friends all around the world! And you were the one saying that he wouldn't care and you'd only stop by Paris for a couple of days... I'm glad you found a good friend to feel less lonely..."

"Uhm... Actually, yeah, he is a... _really good friend._.. And I thought that we might both come and visit."

He spoke quickly and tripped over his words.

"I mean he's been kind enough to show me around and find me a job... I guess I owe him that... And he's never come to Australia so that would be nice for him..."

"Sure, why not? You sure must get along very well after your time at Mann Co. and now this music business."

Mundy blushed again.

"Yeah, yeah, we do... Is dad around?"

"Nah, I'm afraid your dad's gone to buy some bits, do you want me to tell him something when he comes back?"

"Just tell him that I called... And that I said hi to him."

"Will do."

Mundy heard the door open.

"Gotta go, Mum, see ya!"

"See you Micky, we love you."

Mundy hug up and turned to face the door. Lucien had just closed it and faced him.

"Mundy, meet Jérémy, my son. And Jérémy, meet Mundy, my partner."

"Hey, Snipes!"

Mundy smiled and extended his hand.

_It must have gone well between the two of them for Jeremy to be delighted like that._

"You can call me Mundy, how're you doing?"

"Not bad, not bad at all!"

Jérémy took Mundy's hand but identically to what his did with Lucien, he hugged the Australian. Mundy blushed and returned the hug, patting Jérémy on the back.

"It's been such a long time now!"

"Yeah, true, c'mon get yourself comfy, d'you want to drink anything?"

"No, I'm fine thanks, just had a drink with Lucien."

Lucien smiled and removing Mundy's book from the archair to the coffe table, he sat down. Mundy and Jeremy went on the sofa.

"So, how was your flight? Had a pleasant journey?"

"Yeah, as good as it can get when you're locked in a plane for six hours...!"

"Oh, I know long flights, they can be a pain sometimes..."

"Jérémy just asked me a question about us and I thought I'd bring him home for the both of us to answer."

"Ah..."

"Yeah, I was wondering when you... uhm... _met properly_..."

"Oh, it's quite a story, mate."

"Really?"

"Oh yeah... Let me tell you..."

Lucien interrupted.

"While you give your version of the story, I'll prepare some lunch. Jérémy must be quite hungry."

"Thanks."

"So yeah, the story, c'mon!"

"Alroight, alroight, don't rush me mate... Roight, it was a couple months ago now. I had gone to the zoo, looking for a job there. I was on my way back home when I got shoved on the pavement violently by a random bloke. I didn't know Parisians were that impolite!"

It started smelling of what Lucien was cooking. Jérémy and Mundy felt even more hungry, as the delicate smell of aubergines, courgettes and bell peppers tickled their nostrils.

"So I turned to face him and said something like 'Oi! Watch where you're going mate!'. But then I realised he was injured. His hand was bandaged very poorly and dripping with blood. So I thought I'd help him, take him to the nearest doctor. But I had just arrived here, I had no idea where the nearest doctor was! So I took him to my place and patched him up. I asked him how he got injured, but he didn't want to tell me. I turned my back for a second and poof! He had disappeared. I thought I'd never hear from him again..."

Lucien arrived in the living room, a tea towel on his shoulder.

"And you would not have. I recognised Mundy instantly, even before seeing his face. When he said 'Oi watch it mate', I recognised his accent immediately. I froze, it scared me. I was out of my mind and losing a good deal of my blood so I didn't have the energy to refuse when he kindly offered to make a better bandage for me. I followed him and in my mind I wished he did not recognise me."

"And I didn't because I had never seen Lu' without his mask!"

"But wait, why were you injured in the first place?!"

"Ah, that was because I was on my way to kill my ex's new partner."

"What?!"

"Long story but yes, believe me, I was going to cut him down. Anyway, Mundy found me and kindly tended to my wound. After that, I fled, I did not want him to recognise me."

"Why?"

Lucien lowered his eyes.

"At that time, I did not... _have these feelings for him._ I was obsessed with trying to get my ex lady back. Mundy arrived in my life like a wrecking ball, I thought that on top of my present problems, my past life came back at me like a slap across the face. I must add that the day before, I had quitted my job at the Ministry of Defense, as a French spy."

He sighed.

"I saw his arrival as additional problems and I thought I'd better disappear and not meet him again. He'd forget about me, he would think I am a fool but that was fine, as he did not know who I was."

"So how did you guys end up together?!"

"Well, a couple days after that, I heard a knock at the door, opened and there he was!"

Lucien got off the sofa to check on his recipe in the kitchen. He went round the sofa and lightly stroked Mundy on his shoulder while passing. Mundy raised his hand and brushed Lucien's fingers with his hand, on his shoulder.

"He had come back to say thanks, and that's the day we agreed that I would take care of his hand while he teaches me French. Although, now you mention it, I have no idea why he came back, I mean, what pushed him to... He said it was to thank me... Lu'? If you're done with your cooking, c'mere please!"

"A moment, I'm nearly done!"

"So you kept on seeing each other?"

"Yeah, I really liked learning French with him. He doesn't know it but he's the best teacher I've ever had. I had learnt some bits at school but that goes back a few decades ago so my French was extremely rusty..."

"But your plan was to stay in Paris?"

"To be honest, I hadn't thought I'd stay that long. I had been to Russia, to see Mikhail, then Stuttgart where I'd seen Ludwig... None of these landscapes I liked as much as I like Paris now. At first I was overwhelmed by the number of people here but they don't care about you..."

"Gentlemen, lunch is ready!"

"Ah, let's go then."

Jérémy and Mundy joined Lucien on the dining table. He had prepared everything, he even got a vase with flowers on the table. Lucien sat at one end of the table while Jérémy and Mundy sat facing each other, Mundy on Lucien's right and Jérémy on his left.

"Oh, man, that smells and looks delicious! What's that?"

"A very classic French dish."

Mundy interrupted.

"Une ratatouille."

"Exactly! That's my favourite dish."

All three men started eating.

"...also it's the one you mess up the least with."

Mundy was provoking Lucien and it didn't miss. The Frenchman, when he heard what he had said, stopped his fork midway between his plate and his mouth.

" _Quoi?!_ I'm an excellent cook! Try and come up with a better ratatouille then, _mate_!"

Jérémy and Mundy laughed. Lucien went on with his imitation of Mundy.

" _Yeah, mate, I'm an Aussie bloke and I know how to cook French dishes better than that spook_!"

Jérémy burst into laughter.

"Oi! I don't speak like that!"

"You kinda do, Mundy, sorry pal! I'm amazed, you imitate him perfectly!"

Lucien smirked proudly.

"See, that's how you speak!"

"As if your son's opinion wasn't biased!"

Lucien laughed in his turn.

"You called for me, you wanted to ask me something?"

"Yeah, why did you come back after I patched you up?"

"To thank you, I still owe you a hand, quite litterally."

"Oh, ok."

Silence fell for a moment. Only the noise of the forks on the plates could be heard.

"Well, that and..."

"Mh?"

"I was curious. After thinking about it for a long time, I came to think that maybe, _maybe_ , it was my luck. I was in an apalling state and you were a good distraction, a change of scenery and of habit that could be what I needed to go forward. But you occupied my thoughts more and more..."

Lucien had finished his plate. He put his fork aside and leant back on the chair, his eyes went dreamy.

"... And that visit at the zoo. I remember, you surprised me with your knowledge and your patience! Jérémy, you should definitely go and see Mundy work, he's an encyclopedia when it comes to animals."

Mundy smiled proudly.

"Yeah, if you want we can go tomorrow, I have to check on the ladies."

"The ladies?"

Lucien looked smug.

"He is expecting babies with his _other_ ladies!"

"Don't say that like _that!_ It's only birds!"

Lucien played the teasing game he was so good at.

"Maybe, but you spend your days wih them and now you're having babies with them, have you thought about me?!"

Of course he was only joking and deep down, he knew Mundy loved the banter.

"Oh you... They're _birds_ for God's sakes, _birds!"_

Jérémy laughed while Lucien's eyebrows jumped up and down as if to say _'It works every time, he just can't resist it!'._ Mundy rolled his eyes up while smiling.

"Are you guys always fightin' like that?"

"It's Lu'! He's the one looking for it!"

"Guilty as charged! But I only do it because you like it and well... so do I!"

Lucien raised his glass of wine and took a sip.

"Anyway, yeah, we're going to have baby falcos and vultures if all goes well."

"That's so cool! Will I get to see them?"

"Hopefully it won't be much longer until the eggs hatch. By the way Lu', I'll have to spend some nights there, looking after them."

"Oh... You're going to sleep there?"

"Or rather spend all-nighters..."

Lucien looked a bit disappointed.

"I'm sorry."

Mundy lowered his head. He felt the sorrow in Lucien's voice and eyes.

"It's fine..."

Lucien smirked.

"... _spend your night with the ladies, I'll try and contain my jealousy!"_

"Oh for the love of God... Lucien!"

Jérémy laughed again.

_**\-- Author's notes --** _

Hey! Thanks for reading :D

Reviews/comments are always greatly appreciated. :)

See y'all for chapter 25!


	25. Chapter 25

Lucien was in bed. He was lying and while waiting for Mundy to exit the bathroom, he was day dreaming.

_Mon Dieu... Life really does twist and turn. Who could have known? First I end up with a man and now, I have a son... The love of my life is next door and my son is home with me, with us. I couldn't ask for more and I couldn't ask for better. Even if I could, I have no idea what I would ask! Were a genie to appear before my eyes right now and ask me what I want, I would be one of these lunatics, one of these utter fools that would answer 'Nothing.' I have lived an eventful, some would say adventurous, life. I have cried, hated, argued, fought, killed and finally, I am loving for real. Not like we love a brother or a parent, not like we love a friend. I love like a fool. I love like an idiot, a decerebrate imbecile._

He smiled to himself.

_And what a lovely feeling it is, to love unconditionally, to not have to hide anything. Maybe what I feel is freedom. Maybe that's what Mundy brought me. More than a shoulder to cry on or lips to kiss, he set me free from... from.._

His thought hesitated. He was touching a very sensitive spot.

_... myself._

He opened wide eyes.

_Mon Dieu..._

The bedroom door opened and Mundy appeared, his hair still wet from the shower he had just taken. He closed the door behind him.

"You alright?"

Lucien shook his head briefly as if to sweep away those thoughts.

"Uhm, yes, yes I am. Actually, much better now that you're here."

Mundy smiled and climbed on the bed. He was bare-chested and was wearing a pair of grey shorts. He slided next to Lucien who then rested his head on Mundy's shoulder.

"What were you thinkin' about?"

"Nothing important."

"Well you looked like you made a discovery with your eyes open like that, when I entered."

"Well, if you want to know..."

"I do."

"I started to realise how valuable you are to me."

"Oh..."

Lucien put his hand on Mundy's chest.

"You turned my life upside down."

"That doesn't sound good."

"It didn't at first. But then, I let myself go... _Y_ _ou_ made me let myself go."

"What do you mean?"

"I saw you trying your best to learn French, you don't care about what people would think if you made mistakes when you speak, you just go for it, you try! And if you fail, well, you listen to me, you _trust_ me even though you of all people know who I was, _wh_ _at_ I was. I correct your mistake or point it out and you continue..."

Mundy was confused and was not understanding where Lucien was going. He nonetheless let him continue without interrupting. He knew how hard it could be to translate your exact thought in a foreign language and he was grateful that most of the time, when they were alone, Lucien was speaking in English.

"You behave very simply, you don't lie or hide. You speak your mind, you never lie. You are a simple man, in a word, my absolute _opposite._ "

He paused for a second.

"And then I saw you at the zoo. You speak of those birds and take care of them with passion. You don't just do it for the money."

"Well most of us at the zoo know that we are lucky to work with such species. We make the most of it."

"Yes, fine, but you do it with... so much... _charm_. You make it look easy! Remember when you invited that big blue and yellow macaw on muy shoulder? Well, I realised how much you loved animals then. I felt his claws digging ever so delicately on my shoulder and I was twisting and bending my back and shoulders to find the best position possible for it. Now when _you_ had it on your shoulder, you didn't even flinch, you naturally know how to deal with animals."

Mundy smiled and leant his head on Lucien's. He turned his head slightly to leave a kiss on Lucien's head.

"And that made me think, as it still does. See, you are excellent with wild animals. You are not scared of them, you go towards them with the respect they deserve, especially with the dangerous ones. And somehow, _somehow,_ you tame them, they trust you."

Mundy put his hand on top of Lucien's on his chest, sliding his fingers between Lucien's. Lucien was on Mundy's right so he had put his right hand, the scarred one, on Mundy's chest and when Mundy put his hand on top, he felt them. He felt the despair and deep sorrow Lucien was in, right before they met.

"And now I think you have tamed the wildest, most uncivilised of them all."

Mundy raised an eyebrow. Of course Lucien couldn't have seen it, but he felt it.

"Of all people, only you could do it. It seems obvious now, it makes sense! The patience, the selflessness, the passion and above all, as Maman France said the other day, you are _kind_ _-hearted_ , very much so. And that's something you never showed when I first knew you. I had never imagined you could be _that_ _kind_. If my present self could go back in time and tell my past self how I see you now, my past self would laugh so much! It's completely unbelievable!"

Mundy smiled.

"Pff, speaking of unbelievable things, can we talk about you then?"

"What about me?"

"Well, for starters, I had never seen you being... well... _romantic_."

"Oh, come on, I had my reputation. Everyone knew I was good with the ladies."

"Yeah, yeah but I had never seen you... _doing it!_

"Doing what?"

"Being romantic, sweet, soft-spoken. All I ever got from you was that very cold-blooded, arrogant, selfish attitude of yours! That's bloody far from what I would describe you as today, in fact, you couldn't be further from what I think you are today."

"Oui! But what I'm saying is that this change in me happened thanks to _you._ You managed to get something out of me that I thought I had gotten rid of."

"But why would you get rid of... being nice?"

"Because I grew from a child to a man in the dirty streets of Paris, because I then got hired by the Ministry of Defense as a spy and because I became one of their very best ones... Mundy, I was trained to not be human and the further I got from being empathetic, the louder they applauded and the more they paid me. That's what killed the person that you have brought back to life."

"It's good that you realise you've changed. And it's very good that you changed. But you know what would be better?"

Lucien raised his head.

"What?"

Mundy turned on his side and looked at Lucien in the eyes. He got closer to him so their faces were but a couple inches apart. There were both lying on their side,facing each other, devouring with their eyes the beauty they saw in the other's face.

"You're doing it again."

"Whot?"

"Your pupils..."

Mundy smiled and answered, half whispering.

"Yours as well."

He closed his eyes and kissed Lucien, pulling gently on his lips. Lucien closed his eyes and melted. He felt Mundy's hand on his cheek and sliding down on his neck. He broke the kiss.

"Merci mon amour."

[Thank you my love.]

"You're welcome. Wait, what for?"

"For everything."

Mundy smiled.

"Well, then you owe me a lot!"

"Truly, yes, I do."

Lucien put his fingers on Mundy's cheek and carressed it. The Australian blushed, closed his eyes and smiled.

"So, tomorrow you take Jérémy with you to the zoo?"

Mundy opened his eyes.

"Yeah."

"Hmm... Speaking of the zoo, how is your colleague... what's her name again... Mélanie?"

Mundy raised an eyebrow.

"She's fine... why do you ask?"

"Is she still... _interested in you?"_

Mundy blushed.

"No... uhm... I mean..."

"It's ok if she is, I don't mind. If anything, I can only understand why..."

"She's kind of... yeah..."

"Ah, interesting. And so you were saying you were going to take Jérémy tomorrow?"

"Yeah, and depending on the state of the eggs, I might spend the night there."

"Ah, yes..."

Lucien looked down.

"Don't give me that look, please."

Lucien raised his eyes and his pupils were wide.

"Now _you_ look like a sad kitten, how am I s'pposed to resist that?!"

Lucien kept the sad face going on, just to see how Mundy would react. To his surprise, Mundy's face slowly looked sad as he felt his index and middle finger under his chin. Mundy came close and sowly brushed his lips, lightly, delicately on Lucien's. He hardly made contact with them, making Lucien want more. The latter, feeling the sensitivity and gentleness in the kiss, rolled his eyes up as he closed them and lost his mind. He felt so weak, he let himself fall on his back. Mundy turned with him, so that his lips never disconnect with Lucien's and towered him. He finally removed his lips and backed off very slowly.

Lucien had still his eyes closed. He could almost still feel Mundy's lips on his. Mundy, seeing that Lucien had completely fallen, went down and dropped his lips very slowly on Lucien's neck, on his right side, under his ear. The Frenchman jerked his head up, as if he was possessed. He couldn't even moan, he exhaled a bit louder. Mundy let his lips do all the work, travelling slowly down Lucien's neck. The latter felt shivers, his body feeling a light spasm each time Mundy's lips touched the surface of Lucien's skin.

But all of a sudden, Lucien felt Mundy's teeth on his neck, he opened big eyes. He was about to let a cry of pleasure out, when Mundy rapidly put the palm of his hand on his mouth.

"Hm-!"

Leaving his hand on Lucien's mouth, Mundy continued to bite Lucien's neck, going from Lucien's right side, to his left, while still towering him. Mundy then sent Lucien in orbit with his tongue. He closed his eyes and was floating in space. A warm, sweet and empty space. He looked around him and all he could see was black, punctuated by the stars. His trajectory was straight and slow until Mundy's tongue pushed him, sometimes to the left, sometimes to the right. He was sent spinning in weightlessness. In his mind, the world had ceased to exist. There was only him and Mundy. He was manipulating him like a puppet master, pulling on his strings of pleasure slowly, skillfully. Lucien was no longer controlling his limbs. He opened his eyes as Mundy had stopped and gone back to lie next to him. Lucien was still breathing heavily.

"You... Monsieur Mundy... Are quite the surprise to live with..."

Mundy smirked.

"Is it bad though?"

Lucien smiled.

"Quite the opposite."

Mundy put his hand on Lucien and felt his heart trying to calm down. He stroked his chest.

"I would have loved to continue but..."

"I know, Jérémy is here. Let us not go there..."

"Yeah... Let's sleep then."

Lucien smiled.

"Well maybe you can, but I will stay awake for a while now..."

"Uh?"

Lucien sat up on the bed, his back to the wall. He pointed at his kimono trousers, the top part of them. Mundy looked down and saw that, well, he had had _quite the effect_ on his lover.

"Ah, sorry luv'."

"Don't be. If anything, you should feel proud, you're the only man on Earth able to provoke that."

Mundy smiled.

"I'll stay awake with you then."

"Merci."

Silence fell for a minute.

"Speaking of Jeremy, d'you know how long he is going to stay?"

"Non, I don't know."

"And... uhm... Can I... I mean that's none of my business but..."

Lucien looked down to Mundy.

"Go on, tell me what you want."

"I mean I don't want to make you uncomfortable or anythin'..."

"Mundy, if I don't want to answer or if I can't, I will tell you. But you have to ask first."

"Roight..."

Mundy sighed.

"Have you asked about his mum?"

"What about her?"

"How is she?"

"Jérémy told me she had found someone and she's happy with him."

"Oh, good... I guess..."

Mundy sat up next to Lucien, his back also to the wall. He turned his head to look at Lucien.

"What do _you_ think?"

"Same as you, it's good for her."

Lucien paused for a moment.

"I would have thought I would feel something like... not jealousy but..."

"Bitterness?"

"Oui, something like that. But look at me now, I am actually happy for her."

"You say that as if it were a bad thing."

"Non, of course it's not a bad thing. I'm just... surprised."

Lucien turned to Mundy.

"I would expect myself to feel bitter, as if I got beaten and replaced by another vulgar, common man. But no, I don't feel that at all. I used to, back in the days. When people would talk about one of the ladies I've, well, _spent some time with_ and how they were then with another man... I would make disdainful comments, as if that would..."

He was looking for his words.

"Show that you are superior to the new bloke."

"Oui...!"

Lucien had answered very spontaneously and without thinking.

_Mon Dieu... He really knows me and understands me better than I thought..._

"... I am double surprised now."

"Whot do you mean?"

"Not only am I feeling happy for her, but I'm realising how well you understand me. You are litterally stealing the words off my very mouth."

"Well, I would steal more than that from your mouth but your son is next door."

Lucien smiled and shoved Mundy with his elbow softly.

"Listen to you! You've made quite some progress in the flirting business."

"Oh, _j'ai appris du meilleur."_

[Oh, I've learnt from the best.]

"You know that your speaking French with your accent is really not helping me, right?"

Mundy looked surprised and sad.

"What?"

Lucien pointed down again.

"Your speaking French... well... it... uhm... how may I say that in English...?"

"Say it in French."

" _Quand tu me parles français, ça réveille une partie de mon corps que je ne peux pas ignorer pour dormir..."_

Mundy frowned.

"Say it again, but slowly."

"Ah, oui, sorry, I might have spoken a bit fast..."

Lucien repeated what he said word by word. Mundy paid a lot of attention.

"So you're saying 'When you speak French to me, it wakes a part of my body up that I can't ignore to fall asleep'?"

Lucien blushed and nodded.

"Mh-mh."

" _Dans ce cas, je vais continuer!"_

_[In that case, I will continue!]_

_"Tu veux vraiment que je passe une nuit blanche?!"_

_[You really want me to pull an all-nighter?]_

_"Oui, s'il te plaît. Demain je ne dormirai pas avec toi... Je veux juste... Toi... Je te veux..."_

_[Yes, please. Tomorrow I won't spend my night with you... I just want... You... I want you...]_

Mundy was whispering and the waves of air that he blew in Lucien's direction diffused in his head and flowed to his chest and his whole body tensed up.

_"Mon Dieu, Mundy..."_

Lucien turned quickly to his left side and kissed Mundy passionately. He dived in and surprised Mundy, who felt Lucien's delicate fingers running all over his body, like eels swimming past his body, sending electric pulses on his skin. He climbed on him and sitting on Mundy's pelvis, he put his hand on each of his temples, drowning his fingers in Mundy's hair.

_Your turn to fall, Mundy._

The poor Australian man was completely taken aback, so his first reaction was to try and resist, give as much to Lucien's sweet lips as he was receiving. But Lucien cheated again and used that very strong card that Mundy couldn't counter. And so he sank in a deep, dark blue ocean of desire and pleasure. He was sinking while twirling round and round under Lucien's tongue. As he sank, he met first with small fishes but they did not follow him to the deep. Then a couple dolphins circled around him before swimming away. An impressive and slow whale majestically went past, above Mundy's head and blocked any moonlight that was going through the water. The bottomless blue abyss was relentlessly sucking him down as Lucien's fingers went to carress his chest and then sank down...

Mundy opened wide eyes all of a sudden, his pupils retracted instantly. He broke the kiss. for an instant.

"Lucien..."

He whispered as he felt the Frenchman's carress was charming another kind of eel... Lucien was not going to be as reasonable as Mundy had been. He gave up trying to resist and let Lucien in charge. He tried to not breathe too loud. He had gone back to the surface of the ocean but the waves were growing bigger and he was now in the middle of the rough sea. Lucien had become Poseidon, God of the high seas. He controlled the waves to lift him up and would summon another one to make him dive again, oh so deeply. Mundy thought he would drown! But all was carefully mastered by Lucien and the inconsistency or rather the lack of regularity in the waves was made on purpose.

_"I love you and all I want is you, now, and forever."_

Mundy blushed intensely and closed his eyes. He struggled to swim back to the surface, took as much air as he could, despite the storm going on and answered.

_"Lucien, mon amour, ne me quitte jamais, s'il te plaît, ne t'arrête jamais!"_

_[Lucien, my love, never leave me, please, never stop!]_

Mundy saw that he was trapped, Lucien had stirred the ocean round and round until he created a impressively large whirlpool. He tried swimming away from it but who can resist Poseidon while at sea? And it pulled him in as it made him follow the current round and round in a spiral. Each circle he completed made him come closer to the eye of the storm and he looked around him. No one. Not one creature was being pulled in. The eels, the dolphins and the whales were all gone. It was only him against the powerful tides of Poseidon. He looked up, the stars where tinkling shyly, even the moon did not dare interfere with Poseidon's will and hid behind a cloud.

_That's it, I'm done for._

Mundy looked left and right but nothing and noone could save him. He was so close to the eye...!

_"Mon amour... je..."_

_[My love... I...]_

He grasped the bedsheets furiously to resist but the eye gulped him down violently and quickly. He opened his eyes all of a sudden, his body jerking up and biting his lip to not moan.

_My God..._

He shut his eyes and breathed loudly, trying to catch his breath after the sea had washed his tired body ashore.

Lucien lied next to him and looked at his chest go up and down quickly.

"You... are... a bloody... legend..."

Lucien smiled proudly.

"Yes, I am."

Mundy wanted to shove him back with his shoulder but he was too tired. Instead, he just took a deep breath and his chest calmed down slowly.

"Also... You're a devil."

"You say that as if it were a bad thing."

Mundy, his eyes still closed, smiled.

"Well, it's like... sometimes... nothing can stop you..."

"But you."

Mundy slowly opened his eyes, he still couldn't move his limbs. There he was laying, on the bed, motionless, like a starfish.

"Oooh my God... I... I didn't expect you to _take me to the end..._ "

"Well, you said it, tomorrow we won't sleep together. So I thought I might give you... _an incentive_ to come back to me as soon as you can."

Mundy sat up, his back to the wall, next to Lucien.

"Mate, you didn't need to do that."

"Non, I didn't, that is true. But I wanted to. And something tells me you don't regret it."

He said, winking.

"Oh, Mister is perceptive! What made you think that?"

Lucien held Mundy's hand and rested his head on his shoulder.

_"Un espion garde toujours ses secrets."_

_[A spy has his secrets.]_

_**\-- Author's notes --** _

Thank you very much for reading :) !

Comments are reviews are always a great fuel for me to go on so don't be shy and drop me a line! ;)

See y'all around!


	26. Chapter 26

_\- The next morning -_

Lucien was sat on Mundy's lap, as he sometimes does during breakfast, partly to annoy his partner and bite _his_ toasts and partly because he did enjoy it. All of a sudden, he jumped off Mundy's lap and sat on the chair next to him. Mundy raised an eyebrow up and was about to protest when...

"Mornin' y'all!"

"Good morning, Jérémy."

Mundy nodded to Lucien quickly.

_Oh, you jumped off because you saw him... No, wait_...

He raised an eyebrow again.

_How could you? You were giving your back to him...!_

Lucien, his eyes locked on Mundy, understood him. He raised his hand and stroked Mundy's ear while putting a lock of hair behind it. He lightly nodded. Mundy blushed intensely.

_What are you...? Thank God the kid has his back to us! oooh!_

Mundy opened wide eyes and smiled.

_You touched my ear! You didn't see Jeremy arrive, you heard him!_

Lucien nodded, still listening to Mundy's thoughts.

_Crickey, did they give you cat's ears at birth?!_

"Mornin' Snipes- uh, sorry, Mundy..."

"Morning, mate."

Jérémy sat at the table and helped himself to some coffee.

"You had a good night?"

"Yeah, it was alright. Although... You two look like you have barely slept, look at those bags under your eyes!"

Mundy was about to bite in his toast. He stopped his gesture half way through and both Lucien and him looked at each other. Lucien managed to hide his blush but Mundy went red as a brick. Lucien restrained his laughter.

"Ahem, yes, it was _too hot_ to sleep, really."

Lucien smirked and raising his cup of coffee, he hid his wink to Mundy behind it. Mundy's eyes shot to Lucien, still red.

"Yeah I wish the nights were cooler too."

Jeremy answered, sipping his coffee.

_What the bloody-you're really not helpin'! Too_ _hot?!_ _That's all your fault! And don't give me a wink in front of- uh... Screw you, Lucien, really,_ _screw. you._

Lucien answered aloud.

"I wish."

_Wait, are you saying that because you wish nights were cooler or are you saying "I wish" because I said "screw you"?!_

"What do you think Mundy?"

_AAAARGH?!_ _You bloody... I'll give you colder nights, you'll see...!_

"Yeah, Sni-Mundy, you also didn't sleep cause of the heat?"

"Uh, yeah... Yeah, the heat was _unbearable._ "

He looked Lucien dead in the eye, insisting on that last word. Lucien couldn't contain himself anymore and laughed.

"What?"

"Non, sorry Jérémy, seeing Mundy not being able to _resist_ _the heat_ after having lived in Australia makes me laugh, my apologies."

Mundy rolled his eyes up. He knew Lucien was laughing because he had messed up with him.

"Anyway, you are both going to the zoo today?"

"Yeah, I'll take Jérémy with me directly, unless you wanted to do something with him first and then you can drop him off?"

"Non, you can have him all day long today and when he wants to come back home, just call a taxi for him."

"Roight, ok."

"So when are you going?"

"I reckon right after breakfast. I need to go meet with my direct boss, have a chat with him and then we can spend the day together. You'll see the vet session if you want and we have to clean the enclosures. That part might not be the funniest but..."

"It's cool, I'd love to try, see what I can do!"

"Good! Cause we'll have a lot of work, but I'll explain everything once we're there."

Mundy turned to Lucien.

"What are you going to do today?"

"I have to _g_ o and meet Étienne, I wanted to have a chat with him about something. He also wanted to discuss some things about redecorating the restaurant."

"Oh, that's nice!"

"Oui, indeed. And for some reason he wanted to have my opinion about it."

"Ah, that's because you have a great taste!"

"Merci, I guess so, yes... After that, I have to go and buy bits here and there, we're missing some things in this house. By the way, anything specific you want me to get you, Jérémy?"

"Uhm.. No, I don't think so..."

"Alright, in case you think of something, just call here or the restaurant."

"Okay!"

"Roight, let me go get dressed proper."

Mundy exited the table, leaving father and son alone. Lucien grabbed the newspaper laying on the table and started reading it.

"Lucien?"

He bent the newspaper down.

"Oui?"

"Can I... Uh, can I show you somethin'?"

"But of course."

"Right, follow me."

Jérémy stood up and headed to his room. Lucien put the paper down and followed him. The young man entered, let Lucien in and pushed the door back, not closing it completely. He took his suitcase and put it on the bed, pushing it to the side. He sat down next to it, opened it and started unloading it. Lucien was a bit confused. He waited, standing in front of him. Suddenly Jérémy stopped and delicately took an object out. Lucien watched as his son put it on his lap. It was wrapped in a white silk cloth. Jérémy delicately took the cloth between his index finger and his thumb and unwrapped it slowly. It was a framed photograph. Lucien sat down on the bed, next to Jérémy.

"It's the only thing Ma' had left of you. She hid it somewhere in the attic. One day I went there and found it. I took it and hid it in my bedroom, she doesn't know I have it."

Jérémy handed it to Lucien who took it delicately. He lowered his head. The photograph was showing him and Jérémy's mother, holding hands in a park, arm in arm. It was a black and white picture. They were both smiling. Lucien looked so much younger. Back then, he had black hair, it was all combed back, with the exception of a front tuft. He looked much more serious, he was wearing a black suit. He remembered that suit, it was a little bit too large, just enough to make him look larger and more imposing than he really was. His smile was devilish and it inspired fear more than trust. His silhouette was very proud. He held Jérémy's mother's arm proudly as if she was a trophy, his chin slightly raised up. His light blue eyes were light grey on the picture. He shivered. His eyes on that picture reminded him of Gray Mann's robots. He saw as much humanity, kindness and empathy in them as he had seen in the cold robots. Looking at himself now, he felt disgusted by his own past self.

"Once I asked her if she had any pictures of you, she said she hadn't and it was better that way..."

"Do you know what happened between us?"

"Yeah, she told me you lied to her and that's why you went your own separate ways."

"Ah, yes."

"Is that true?"

Lucien turned to look at Jérémy in the eye.

"Somehow, yes, it is."

"What do you mean?"

Lucien sighed.

"I... We were living the best of lives together. She was the first person I wanted to spend my life with. At that time, I was living in Boston as well. I had been sent there for a mission, as a spy, by the French government and I was meant to get information on someone. I met your mother by chance and we fell in love. It all went smoothly, we moved in together and we agreed on having a child, naming him Jérémy if it was a boy, Chloé if she was a girl, names that work both in French and in English... I was about to cut the ties with the French government, but I first needed to complete my mission. I thought I would quit my position as a spy right after finishing my mission. But..."

"But...?"

"But your mother is very clever. She had guessed something was fishy about me. She once was looking for me, to have lunch together, as a surprise. She didn't find me at my supposed ' _workplace'_. I had told her I was working in a bank but of course I was not. She went there and asked about me. Not only did she not find me, the people also told her that no one working there was called like me. Ha! What a fool I was... Look at me."

He pointed at the framed picture.

"I look stupid. I look horribly self-confident and that is precisely what caused my downfall. I thought I could hide the fact I was a spy to her. I thought I had everything in my power, in my control. But no... She confronted me about it. I insisted and continued to hide the truth from her."

"Why?"

"Because I loved her. I wanted to protect her, and you too."

"Oh..."

"Believe me Jérémy, I did not run away from your mother because I ceased to love her or because of you. I loved both of you unconditionally. I just behaved like an idiot. And I paid for it."

Jérémy, still holding the framed photograph on his lap leant his head on Lucien's shoulder. Lucien rested his head on his.

"When I was a kid, Ma' told me I would never see you, I _should_ never see you. She's always been afraid of me becoming like you. But seeing you and, to be honest, before coming here, I thought she was right. I mean, I saw you in Mann Co. ... Ruthless and heartless. That time I asked you to help me go on a date with Miss Pauling, you made fun of me, you pretended to help me and in the end, what did I get? I got a ' _Congratulations, you are a failure.'_ I mean, c'mon!"

"I am sorry, Jérémy. Truly, I am."

Jérémy resumed his speech, without answering Lucien.

"But then, I arrived here. And I've been seeing you around with Snipes-argh! _Fuck!_ I mean Mundy!"

_He is getting more and more angry... I guess I can't escape the storm._

"And it's like you're a totally different person! You ain't the Spy anymore, you ain't arrogant, you ain't pretending to be superior to everyone around, you... You are not the man I've known in Mann Co.! Like what the hell!"

Lucien sighed.

"Sorry, Jérémy, my apologies."

Silence fell. Lucien put his arm around Jérémy's shoulder. The young man started sniffing.

_Merde, he's crying._

"I am... I am repeating myself but..."

"Please stop..."

Lucien stopped speaking and remembered Mundy's words. _Listen to him._

"You know what I'm thinking? I'm thinkin' that if you had been like that when you were with Ma'..."

He cried silently, breathing irregularly.

"... You'd still be together today... I would have grown up with you..."

Lucien frowned and closed his eyes.

"... I wouldn't have missed you that much. You honestly have no idea how painful it was. You have no idea..."

He cried more.

"When I was a little kid, I missed you every _fucking_ day! Then I grew up and Ma' would always tell me that you were a bad person. So yeah, when I got to high school, I just considered you _dead._ Because... Because it was easier! Easier to explain to my friends, to the teachers... And then I had to go find a job. I thought about joining the police cause I wasn't very good at school but Ma' forbid me! She'd always say 'No way you're becoming a policeman! And then what? End up like your father?!'..."

Mundy had got ready meanwhile. He went to the kitchen and found the bowls and cups were cold and half full still, the toasts were half bitten in. He was confused. He looked in the living room.

_No one... They can't be in the bathroom either... Are they in Jeremy's room then?_

He headed there. Lucien heard him coming. He put a hand on Jérémy's head and pressed him against his chest. That way, Lucien was hiding the door from Jérémy's line of sight and he was also trying his best to comfort him. Mundy was about to open the door wider as Jérémy had left it nearly closed but not quite. However he saw from the thin space between the door and the wall that Lucien was holding Jérémy in his arms. He opened wide eyes.

_Blimey, I hope everything's alroight... I'd better leave them. Lucien will drop him at the zoo_ _, no doubt._

Mundy left as silently as he could. But in Jérémy's bedroom, the discussion continued.

"To be honest with you Jérémy, I've always kept an eye on you and your mother, from far away."

Jérémy freed himself from his father's embrace and wiped some tears with his arm. Lucien kept his hand on his son's shoulder.

"Do you rememeber your first baseball glove?"

"Yeah, why?"

"It was blue, white and red, correct?"

"Yeah, Ma' offered it to me and she said it was because the American flag was blue, white and red."

"Well, have you never wondered why it was 3 stripes of colour but not the stars and stripes?"

Jérémy straightened up his back and opened wide eyes.

"And when you were about 15, you got arrested by the police, correct?"

At that point, Jérémy could not answer anymore. Lucien stood up.

"Give me an instant."

He exited the room and soon came back, sat back next to his son.

"You had got yourself in a fight with a child twice your size. The police officer wanted to take a picture with you, he pretended it was because he was going to end up in the local newspaper, having stopped a riot before he started, do you remember it?"

He paused for a second.

"He then took you back home and while you entered the house, the police officer stayed on the front door and had a chat with your mother. She recognised me, instantly and she stopped me. She asked me clamly yet very firmly to disappear. So I did. But..."

He gave Jérémy the picture.

"I kept the picture with me."

Jérémy looked at the picture for a moment.

"And that was not the only time I was there. Each time I had to travel to the United Sataes, I would make a detour to Boston. I would watch you and your mother from far away, wait for you to go and knock at the door. Yourmother wouldnnt let me in. She would ask me to disappear, again and again. I did that a few times, until once, I saw you exit the house a man. You had grown up a lot and that when it hit me. I had missed your whole life. I had missed so much with you I could not bear it. So that time, I didn't even try to knock at the door, I just disappeared and never came back..."

He paused for a second.

"... because it hurt too much. It hurt too much to see that the child we wanted, the child _I_ wanted as much as your mother had fully grown _without_ my being able to even just talk to you once. And each day after that, I felt as if I had a sharp dagger through my chest that I couldn't remove however strongly I try."

Lucien sighed.

"Then I had to stop feeling and start thinking for a second. I could harass your mother in the mad hope that one day she would give in and that would remove the acute pain in my chest. But then, what if I just ignored the pain? What if I could simply dismiss it completely, pretend it did not exist? Well, I was paid by the Ministry of Defense to _not_ feel anything so that would be child's play for me, right?"

He paused for a second and looked Jérémy in the eye.

"It was hard. I started drinking more and doing more and more combat training. The pain I removed from my chest was paid through the countless hits and blows I gave and received at physical training. I broke my bones countless times but wouldn't even feel it and I grew embittered. With that came the arrogance, the false pride that I got from progressing from a common agent to a top French spy, admired and respected for my cold-bloodedness and my absolute lack of emotions, in a word I had become an absolute _freak._ An artificial murdering machine, a product so dangerous that nature itself forbade its existence."

Jérémy opened wide eyes.

"And then came the Mann Co. contract. I saw you but this time, I didn't feel any sadness, non. I observed you, considered you as a colleague, nothing more. Until the very last day..."

"Yeah, what decided you to come and talk to me?"

"I heard you talking on the phone to your mother."

"And?"

"And something cracked and shattered inside me! At that time I was with another lady. But hearing your mother so closely yet so far... It reminded me of my past self. And I lost control. I remember going to you and talking to you but it feels almost as if it wasn't me, as if I was watching over someone's shoulder and that someone was me. Quite strange."

"You gave me a piece of paper with your first name, your phone number in Paris and your address."

"Yes, I did. And here we are, you trying to know me, and me begging for forgiveness..."

He paused for a second, Jérémy sniffed.

"Jérémy, I want to tell you that watching you grow up, I felt proud. I imagine you are thinking that this pride is completely undeserved. Yes, indeed. But I am so proud of you..."

Lucien lowered his head. He felt a hand on his shoulder. He raised his head again and looked at Jérémy's face. His big blue eyes were a bit swollen and red. They were filled with tears but he was smiling.

" _Merci Papa."_

[Thank you, Dad.]

Even with all the strength in the world, Lucien did not manage to stop his tears.

_**\- Author's notes -** _

Thanks for reading! :D

Special thanks to the dudes and dudettes on discord who push me forward and prevent me from being lazy with this story! ^^

See y'all around for Chapter 27!


	27. Chapter 27

 

 

\- _Later that day -_

Lucien parked his car in front of the zoo.

"You're coming in with me?"

"Non, I have to go and see Étienne. Follow the signs to the birds enclosures, you should find him there."

"Alright, ok."

Jérémy exited the car. He was about to shut the car door when he peaked his head down. Lucien, behind his black sunglasses was surprised.

" _Merci encore, Papa."_

_[Thanks again, Dad.]_

Lucien smiled.

"What for?"

"Becoming yourself again, not what you were in Mann Co."

"Well, you have to thank Mundy for that, he helped considerably."

"I will."

He closed the car door and walked towards the zoo entrance. Lucien watch him walk further and further. He removed his sunglasses and wiped a tear with a handkerchief, his smile wide across his face.

\- _A couple minutes afterwards -_

"Hey Mundy!"

Mundy turned his back and his face brightened at the sight of Jérémy.

"Hey Jeremy! So, ready for this day with me?"

"Hell yeah!"

"Roight, so, c'mere, let me show you the family!"

Mundy showed all the birds he was taking care of, going at length into the details of their diets and their habitats. Jeremy was listening without interrupting, trying to remember as much as he could. But the avalanche of information was colossal and he soon felt flooded.

"Wow, you sure know a lot about all these birds! Where did you get all that?"

Mundy stopped walking and turned to Jeremy.

"Years in the Outback, mate. I've lived with some of these guys, seeing them everyday. C'mon, follow me here."

Jeremy followed him behind the enclosures, in the staff only zone.

"Gimme your arm."

Jeremy extended his arm and Mundy helped him wear a thick leather gloves.

"Wow, wait, what are we gonna-"

Mundy wore his quickly and left the room. Jeremy followed him.

"Ani! Ani, where are you? Ah, here you are, would you like to come say hi or...? Oh, nope, ok, you're busy."

"Who're you talking to?"

"Well, come and see."

Jeremy came close to Mundy. He instantly opened wide eyes.

"How the _fuck_ can you talk to it like that?!"

"Oi! Mate, watch it! It's a _she._ And she's sitting on her future babies. Anita here is one of my best mates."

"She's super big and look at her beak! And her claws!"

"Well, why do you think I've put that glove on your arm?! Anyway, we'll go and get her husband then... Follow me!"

Jeremy's mouth was still open wide.

"Ah, here we are, Hugo? C'mere big boy! Ah, there he is, look at him. He's a beaut' of a falco, innit?"

The bird had come as soon as he heard Mundy call for him and was now perched on Mundy's arm.

"Ah, big boy eh? He's Anita's Mister. The zoo had him for a very long time but he seemed sad on his own. Since Anita joined us, his life turned upside down, look at him!"

"A bit like you and Dad."

Mundy froze and blushed, he looked right and left.

"Mate, you might want to keep it down, people here don't know for your father and I."

He said, whispering to Jeremy.

"Oh... Sorry..."

"But uhm... I guess you're right..."

A moment of silence passed.

"Jeremy, put your hand in my right-hand pouch. You'll find a treat there, give it to him."

"You sure he won't eat my whole hand?"

"Mate, trust me."

Jeremy did as told. He handed the meaty treat in the general direction of the bird who tokk it with its beak and gulped it quickly.

"See? He's a good boy, he's polite, say thanks Hugo."

The falco bent his head down and raised it up again.

"Wow, how did you..?"

Mundy took another treat and gave it to him.

"It's trainin' mate, a lot of it. Ani was also trained but she's on a _maternity leave_ right now."

"Ah, I see."

"Oh, look at the time, the vet will arrive shortly, let's get Hugo back home and get ready for him."

Jeremy nodded and followed Mundy. When the vet arrived, they went through different enclosures and while he had a look at the eggs and their mothers, Jeremy listened and waited patiently.

_Oh man, he knows an awful lot about these birds... I mean he used to have a pet owl but c'mon, falcos and parrots and budgies and anything with wings and feathers?! Wow..._ _And now there he is, chatting with the vet about the eggs... in French! Lucien really did teach him a lot as well and he doesn't have a strong accent..._

The vet packed up his tools and shook Mundy's hand.

_Ah, that's it, he's leaving._

The vet walked away and Mundy turned to face Jeremy.

"Roight, he says some of them might hatch today or tonight!"

"Really?! Great!"

"Yeah, we've got that to wait for but in the meantime, we should clean the enclosures."

"Ok."

And off they went, getting the necessary tools to get started. Mundy put them in a wheelbarrow and pushed. They began with the canaris and budgies.

"You don't have anyone to help you with the birds?"

"Not yet, but I will. When the babies arrive, I'll train someone to help me take care of them."

"Oh, ok..."

Silence fell and both men got busy.

"Uhm... Mundy,?"

"Mh?"

"Can I ask you something?"

"Yeah? And by the way, we're more or less alone, you can speak nearly freely."

"Ah ok, good, I wanted to ask if... well... Dad might have told you that uhm... I'm looking for someone and uhm... well I thought maybe you could help?"

Mundy froze. He blushed and tripped over his words.

_Damn, I owe Lucien 100 Francs now..._

"Well... uhm... mate I'm not sure if... well... ok... You know what?"

He took a deep breath.

"I will help you."

Jeremy opened wide eyes.

"Really?"

"Yeah, it's the least I can do. You come to me for help, _to me._ I can't refuse. So, what are we looking for?"

Jeremy was completely taken aback.

"Mate?"

"Yeah, yeah, well a lady to start with."

"Hm."

"Anything in particular?"

"Around my age if possible, and single."

"Hm."

"To be honest, I'm surprised you accepted to help."

"Well, you should ask your dad, he's much better at this sort of things."

"Yeah but... I'm too shy..."

Mundy smiled.

"I understand... Thing is, I don't know many people here... Especially ladies..."

"Oh... I see..."

But it popped in Mundy's head.

_Wait a minute! There's Mélanie! If they end up together, I'd solve 2 problems in one go! Oh, wait... Yesterday, Lucien asked about-oh! Damnit! That's why he asked me about Mélanie! He somewhat set Jeremy to ask me to help to find a girlfriend and he talked about Mélanie yesterday...! Clever bastard!_

"Ah, there is one that you could try something with."

"Really?"

"Yeah, she's actually one of my colleagues here, takes care of the wild cats."

"The what?"

"Wild cats, lions, tigers and so on."

"Oh right, ok."

Mundy went on describing her to Jeremy, emphasising the fact that she's single and looking _quite actively_ for someone.

"But careful mate."

"Why?"

"She's seen Lu' and me, _as friends._ "

Jeremy nodded.

"Don't worry, you can rely on me, I won't say anything about you two. I'm the son of your friend, nothing more for her."

"Thanks... And I think we're done with these enclosures!"

"Oh, that went faster than I thought it would!"

"And it did go faster than usual! An extra pair of hands really makes a huge difference. Right... would you like to meet her?"

"If you don't mind."

"Of course not, follow me."

Mundy pushed his wheelbarrow to a staff shed, left it there and went through the zoo. As he was passing, he was still presenting the animals to Jeremy, stopping sometimes to give more details about a particular species or showing the effort made to make the enclosures as cosy as possible for the animals.

"This zoo is massive!"

"It's the biggest in the region mate! Oh, wait, there she is, Mélanie!"

The young woman turned to face Mundy, her face radiating with a large smile.

"Bonjour Mundy! How are you?"

"You can speak English?"

"More or less, yes."

"Perfect then. Look, this is Jeremy, my friend's son and he is loves wild cats."

"Hello uhm.. bonjour!"

Jeremy stepped forward and extended his hand. Mélanie shook it.

"You're Australian as well?"

"Nah, I'm American, well, half American, half French."

"Ooh, very nice!"

"I gave him a tour of my birds but it would be really nice if you could show your friends here."

"No problem at all! You have time now?"

"Yeah I do."

"Roighy, can I leave him with you?"

"Sure thing!"

"Good, have fun kids!"

"Thanks pal!"

And off they went.

Mundy headed back but soon he stopped and turned his back to see Mélanie showing her animals to Jeremy.

_Ah, if Lucien was here, I bet he'd be able to tell if they're going to end together..._

He sighed and smiled.

_Cute couple of kids they are... Anyway, I should leave them alone and go back to my birds. I have a show in about an hour._

_\-- Le Mistral Gagnant, the restaurant --_

"Bonjour Étienne!"

"Lulu! How are you?"

"I am great, what about you?"

"I'm good. The usual?"

"Yes please."

Lucien sat on a stool while Étienne prepared his usual lemonade.

"Ah, thanks."

Lucien took a sip of it.

_Mundy's lemonade is better..._

"So, how is it going, the refurbishing?"

"Well, as you can see, nothing started yet, we wanted your opinion on something."

"Sure, go ahead."

Étienne took a file from under the counter.

"Here are schematics and pictures of what it could look like, tell me what you think."

Lucien put his lemonade aside and opened the file. He frowned as he focused on the numerous drawings and schematics. Multipke times, he turned on his tool and aligned the picture with the room and, closing one eye, tried to picture the real life thing.

"Something is not quite right..."

"Ah. See that's exactly what I thought! But I can't pinpoint it!"

"I mean it looks amazing but there's a detail that doesn't go well with this new style. Let me think..."

He spread the different schematcs and pictures on the counter. Étienne grabbed a tea towel and continued wiping the freshly washed glasses and cups.

"Aha! I got it!"

"What is it?"

"The name!"

"What?!"

"The name of the restaurant! Look at these pictures, what words come to your mind?"

"Uhm.. Classy, restaurant, night club I guess, night time atmosphere, modern..."

"Good, what is the name of the restaurant?"

"Le Mistral Gagnant"

"What does that mean or rather, what do you think of when you say those words?"

"Well, the Mistral is a type of wind that blows in the South East of France, on the Mediterranean Sea, and "gagnant" is winning. So I guess I think more of the sea, boats, waves but with some _panache!"_

"See? It doesn't match so Ind say either you change the nme of the restaurant or you change the plans."

"What would you do?"

"Well, I am no expert but I'd say change the plans. The name is something people have been knowing for years, even decades! And as we say _'On ne change pas une équipe qui gagne!'_ "

[ _No need to change a team that wins!]_

"I guess you're right."

"In that regard, those plans don't reflect the aspects that I like the most about this place."

"Oh, what do you mean? You just said it looked amazing!"

"Oui, oui but it looks too modern and cold! Where is the good old jolly atmosphere? Where is the fellowship or friendship and cosiness here?"

Étienne made a face.

"I guess you're right... Ah, and I thought that decorator was good..."

"Who is he?"

"That's Michel de Latour, you know, the one on the Avenue du Maréchal Leclerc?"

"Ah, him? Bah, Étienne, it's well known that his plans sell much more than the actual finished product! If I were you, I'd contact Pierre Vasseur. He's not very well known in the business but I can vouch for him."

"Wait, I need to write this down..."

Étienne reached in one of the pockets on his apron and got a pen out. He flipped the file shut and wrote the name on it.

"Where abouts is he?"

"See where the Rue du Marché crosses with the Avenue du Général de Gaulle?"

"Oui, I see."

"Right before that crossing, be careful his shop is tiny, you might miss it."

"Right, I see, thanks!"

Étienne finished writing, clicked the pen and elegantly slided it back in his pocket.

"What can I do to repay the favour?"

"Wait till you give him the case and you can thank me afterwards!"

"Oh but you and I both know it is going to be amazing so why wait? Tell me."

"If it is not too much to ask, I would like you to book my table for Saturday..."

"You know this table is yours, it is always booked for you."

"... with a third chair."

Étienne stopped and raised an eyebrow.

"Someone else you want to impress?"

"Non."

"What?"

"Someone I _need_ to impress!"

"Right, I'll remember that but truly you impress _me!"_

Lucien smirked.

"More than usual?"

"Well, I didn't know you were that kind of a man when you brought Mundy here and now annother one, _at the same time?!"_

Lucien burst into laughter and slapped his thigh.

"What? Isn't that what it is?!"

"Absolutely not Étienne! It's my son I'm bringing!"

"Your _what now?!_ Lulu, you haven't told me the whole story about this!"

Étienne through the tea towel on his shoulder and went round the counter. He sat on the stool next to Lucien's.

"Ah oui, I need to tell you about this. But you know me, I have a particular taste for drama!"

" _Salaud, va_

_[You bastard!]_

They both laughed and Lucien told the story of how he got to have a son...

_\-- Zoo de Vincennes --_

The afternoon had been quiet in the zoo. Jeremy had attended Mundy's show with the birds and was amazed.

_Birds ain't that stupid at all!_

It was now the end of the afternoon and the zoo was closing.

"Wanna stay with me a bit or would you rather go back home?"

"I'll stay with you if you don't mind."

"Sure! Let's go grab a sandwich or somethin'."

Mundy had lead the way to a sandwich stand and bought a couple sandwiches. They went and sat on a bench.

"Last time I sat there, it was with your dad."

Jeremy had dived in the sandwich but was nonetheless listening.

"Hm."

"Back then, he still had the bandage arond his hand. Here is when he first told me how he broke his hand. He looked so... intense."

Jeremy licked his fingers, the mayonnaise escaping the sandwich.

"What d'you mean?"

"I don't know... Something in his eyes... He was staring at the giraffes here."

Mundy pointed in front of them. The tall animals were walking to their equally tall house, slowly throwing their legs in front of them in an imposing and impressinve manner.

"And I remember he opened up to me. He was very sraightforward, the words were coming to him very naturally."

"Well, he trusts you so that doesn't surprise me."

Mundy bit in his sandwich.

"Mh! Hm... Yeah but... At that time I didn't know he liked me!"

"Did you like him?"

Mundy blushed.

"Uh... I don't know if I should talk about that with you... I mean... It's a bit awkward mate..."

"It's fine, go ahead."

"You sure? I find it... I mean I'm not gonna describe to you how I fell in love with your dad!"

"So that's when you fell in love with him?"

He turned red as a brick.

"Let's talk about some'in' else mate..."

Jeemy understood he went too far.

"Sorry."

"It's fine. Let's go to the birds."

They headed there as the sun was setting.

"Roight, so, we can stay here."

They had entered a staff room which was right behind the enclosure for the female falcos. There was a window so they could still see Anita and a couple others on their eggs. They could also just about see some of the budgies on one side and the parrots on the other. Mundy grabbed a chair and motioned Jeremy to another.

"So, what are you gonna do all night?"

"Watch over them."

"Aren't you gonna sleep at all?"

"Nah, I had a chat this morning with my direct boss and the managers are apparently delighted about these babies. It's been ages since someone took good care of these poor birds."

"Was nobody taking care of them before you?"

"Apparently people were taking turn from other animal sections to feed them and clean the enclosures. But no, no one was really investing the time that they deserve."

And the discussion continued between Mundy and Jeremy. The sun had completely disappeared and Jeremy's occasional yawns turned into frequent ones.

"Mate, you haven't stopped yawning, let me call a taxi for you."

"Nah, I'm fine, I can stay..."

He yawned again. Mundy raised an eyebrow and smiled.

"Well ok, maybe I need to go to bed."

"Roight, let me call a taxi."

"Thanks."

Mundy took the phone on the small desk there and phoned for a taxi. Once again, Jeremy was impressed at how Mundy could get by in French.

"Roight, he'll be here in about 10 minutes. Let's go to the gates, I'll wait with you."

"Ok."

Mundy led the way out. They walked through the dark alleys of the zoo, only hearing the animals breath loudly. Some of them coming at the windows, curious as to what was causing the step noises at such an hour.

"This place is quite scary at night."

"Really? I find it cosy. It's silent, you can only hear the animals, feel their presence... Reminds me of the Outback."

"Ah, yeah..."

They arrived at the gate, and of course they were locked. Mundy went to his pocket and got a key ring out. It was a big one, with lots of keys.

"Mmmh... Ah, this one it is!"

He grabbed the big padlock on the chain which was locking the door and unlocked it. The metallic gate grated as Mundy pulled it open. He let Jeremy through and closed it after going out himself.

"Thanks Mundy."

"For what?"

"For this day. Thank you for showing me the zoo and everything."

"Bah, it's nothing, really."

"I really liked it, and I feel quite lucky. Lots of people wanna spend a day in a zoo, close to the animals and I got that privilege!"

"Glad you liked it here."

Silence fell. Jeremy went on the right side, to lean against the zoo's wall. Mundy followed and did the same. He looked up at the starry night but then quickly turned his head to Jeremy.

"Uhm... Jeremy?"

"Yeah, and by the way, you can call me Jay."

"Roight, Jay, I don't know if I should say anything cause that's none of my business really but uhm..."

"Go ahead."

"Your dad, he really is delighted to have you here with us. And we're both grateful that you accept... well... _us_. I just... I just want you to know that he is proud of you. He might not show it or... or he might show it but in complicated ways, I mean, it's Lucien we're talkin' about here... But yeah, he is immensely proud of you and he loves you, he really does."

"Mundy, you don't need to tell me."

"Yeah I do, because at the end of the day, I know how he can sometimes be... He..."

"No, really, you don't need to. He already told me."

Mundy opened wide eyes.

_Ah, so that's what happened in the bedroom this morning I guess..._

"It's fine. But thanks, I really appreciate it."

Mundy smiled.

"Nah, thank you mate, you're a very nice bloke. Y'know, I didn't know I could get along with you that well."

"Neither did I..."

A car arrived and stopped in front of the gate.

"Oh, roight, that's you ride."

Jeremy entered the car and before closing the door, he looked up Mundy.

"Oh and thank you."

"It's fine, mate, a visit at the zoo is really nothing."

"No, I mean for what you did to Dad, the way you transformed him. Really, _thanks."_

Mundy's lips drew a big smile.

"My pleasure."

Jeremy nodded in goodbye and shut the car door. Mundy watched as the car disappeared.

"Roight, now, back to the birds."

_**\-- Author's notes --** _

Hey! Thanks for reading, good folks :)

In case you didn't know, I opened a discord server where I let people know about my progression and discuss the story :)

Join us if you want **_(and if you're over 18!)_ **: https/discord.gg/BPbVqct

Special thanks to _Deathtothecrows_ and all the people on discord who always push me with their great feedback!

See y'all around for the 28th Chapter!


	28. Chapter 28

_Bien._

It was pitch dark as the sun had long gone and was replaced by a white moon crescent. Lucien was standing in front of the big metallic gate of the zoo. He put a hand in his pocket and took out a pair of gloves. He looked at the walls.

_Walls are covered with spikes. I won't go through there._

He elegantly put the gloves on and took a step forward.

_Oh, a padlock. A padlock and the gate's lock. Hm!_

He chuckled.

_That's my way in, the good old front door. Mon Dieu, who do they think they're impressing with this chain and this padlock?! I_ _t's as if they want their establishment to be robbed_

He put a hand in his inside pocket. He lit a cigarette, put it between his lips and got a couple pins out. He crouched in front of the padlock and got busy. He thought about that conversation he had with Jérémy right before going out.

"So you're gonna go to the zoo...?"

"Oui."

"In the middle of the night...?"

"Oui."

"And you think you can enter there just like that?"

"Non."

"Aha!"

"I _know for a fact_ that I _will_ enter there just like that."

He snapped his fingers.

"Now, there is only one thing I need to know from you, _mon fils."_ [my son.]

He had grabbed a pair of gloved and put them in his pocket.

"Where did you leave him?"

"In that staff room behind Anita's enclosure."

_Click._

The sound of the successful lockpicking broke his train of thoughts. He removed the chain as quietly as possible and put it on his shoulders for the time being.

_I need to make as less noise as possible. Mundy won't hear anything but the animals certainly will._

Still crouched, he picked the gate's lock.

_"Piece o' piss", as Mundy would say_.

He entered and closed the gate behind him. He put the heavy chain with the big padlock back.

_Click._

He stood proudly and took a second to appreciate his work.

_Well, a moment has passed, back to work!_

He walked quickly yet silently in the dark alleys of the quiet zoo. Some animals opened their eyes as we passed them, he could only see the green reflection of some lamp-post light in their eyes. He smiled to himself.

_That's a fellow panther, good night, beautiful._

He continued and carefully arrived in the wild bird's section.

_Right, according to Jérémy, he is in the office behind Anita's enclosure._

He walked this time slower, knowing how loud birds can be. None of them made any noise and he was now standing in front of the door. He was about to knock when he got an idea. He crushed his cigarette.

He took a couple steps back from the door and...

{ _Author's note: Listen to Richard Cocciante's "Pour elle" at the same time!}_

He very lightly tapped his foot on the wooden floor to appreciate the rythm. He started the lyrics in his head to get to the interesting part. The song had originally been written for a lady, he just needed to switch some pronouns, bah! He focused and then...

" _J'irai au plus profond des rêves_

_[I will go at the deepest of the dreams]_

_Qu'il fait lorsqu'il est endormi_

_[He dreams when he's asleep]_

_Chercher ce que jamais ses lèvres_

_[To look for what his lips won't]_

_N'oseront dire de ses envies"_

_[Ever tell of his longing]_

In the office, Mundy startled and straighten his back up, his ears pricking up.

Lucien closed his eyes.

_"J'arracherai les habitudes_

_[I will tear out those habits]_

_Et les moments qui font douter_

_[And the moments of doubts]_

_Pour détruire les incertitudes_

_[To crush all uncertainties]_

_Sans se parler_

_[Without speaking]"_

Mundy opened the door. Lucien continued singing, this time louder and clearer.

_"Pour lui..."_

_[For him...]_

Mundy's jaw dropped, he switched on some lights. The colourful birds had gathered at their windows, watching silently. The few wild peacocks who were free to roam in the zoo had also come. In the middle was Lucien. He took a deep breath and sang very loudly, with a slight hoarse voice, a clenched fist on his heart and his other arm extended in front of him, in Mundy's direction.

_"J'irai au bord de l'invisible!_

_[I will go to the verge of the invisible!]_

_Où l'amour tient en équilibre!_

_[Where love hangs in a fragile balance!]_

_Pour lui j'oublierai qui je suis!_

_[For him I will forget who I am!]_

_J'écouterai tout c'que son coeur dit!_

_[I will listen to everything his heart has to say!]_

_J'irai voler l'indispensable_

_[I will go and steal the vital]_

_L'extrême sentiment d'aimer_

_[The extreme feeling of loving!]"_

Mundy couldn't believe his eyes. Lucien had found a way of getting into the zoo and was now surrounded by the most exotic birds in the world, shining with their bright colours as he was adding his voice to the visual delight. The Frenchman opened his eyes.

_My God..._

They were shining almost as brightly as the blue of the blue-and-yellow macaw. He walked forward, still singing and grabbed Mundy's hand with his gloved hand. Feeling the velvet between his fingers, Mundy blushed. Lucien led the dance as well the song, slowly. He turned and made Mundy turn as well. The Australian was mesmerised by the whirlwind of colours he was seeing as he was sent spinning by his lover. Lucien then pulled him close to him. The smell of Lucien's cologne filled Mundy's lungs and heart. He closed his eye.

_My God I love that smell._

Lucien, seeing that Mundy closed his eyes, took advantage of the situation and put his lips on Mundy's. The latter melted. Lucien backed off.

"How did you...?"

"You think a door can stop me?"

"But the chain? And the padlock? And the lock?"

Lucien smirked. He got close to Mundy, putting his hand on his cheeks and pulled his face down, he whispered.

"No stupid door, however locked it is, will ever, _ever_ stop me from seeing you."

Mundy smiled.

"Thanks, luv'."

Lucien smiled in his turn.

"Besides, I want to be with you for the arrival of the babies."

"Oh, really?"

"But of course! I want to see you happy..."

He took a cigarette from his case.

"And if those goddamn ladies can make you so, so be it!"

He lit it.

"I'll just stand next to you as you smile."

He was about to put the cigarette to his lips when Mundy grabbed him by his waist and kissed him passionately. He finally let go of the Frenchman.

"Thank you so much."

"My pleasure."

"No but really, thank you for doing all that to come and see me."

Lucien took a step back and finally put that cigarette at his lips.

"I made a promise to you, I will never leave your side."

"I mean, you could have, I'm not that far away from home."

"Precisely! Where do you want me to be when you're so close to me if I'm not in your arms?"

Mundy smiled.

"What? Why do you smile like that?"

"You smile at me when I'm being poetic. Now it's my turn."

Lucien removed his gloves and put them back in his pocket. Mundy took his hand.

"Follow me."

They went in the staff shed. Mundy resumed his seat. He sat in front of the window, his right elbow on the table and his hand supporting his head. Lucien took a chair and put it at Mundy's right, leaning his head on Mundy's arm. Both were staring at Anita through the window. There she was, quietly sat on her babies, in her nest. Silence fell for a long while.

Mundy leant back on his chair and, putting his arm around Lucien's shoulder, he pulled him to himself. Lucien brought the chair closer and put his head on Mundy's shoulder. He moaned slightly.

"Mmmh..."

"Someone is enjoying themselves."

"I just find your shoulder is a very comfortable pillow."

"Ah, that's me now, I'm a pillow."

"That's not what I said."

"That's exactly what you said!"

"Non I didn't! Bushman, pay attention, I said ' _a very comfortable pillow'._ "

"Oh, roight, I feel better now!"

" _Très bien._ "

[Very well.]

Mundy slided his fingers in Lucien's hair and stroked his head, slowly. Lucien closed his eyes for a moment to appreciate the head massage.

"Your technique is average. I can teach you if you want."

"Whot?"

"Your massaging technique, you have good fingers but the technique leaves a great deal to be desired."

"Alroight, let's switch then, impress me!"

Lucien straighten up on his chair and Mundy leant on his shoulder. He laid his long legs in front of him and crossed them. Lucien shook his hands and fingers as if to warm them up and slided his hands in Mundy's hair.

"Quite long hair you have..."

"I'm still waiting for- uh..."

Lucien started massaging. Mundy rolled his eyes up and closed his eyes. Lucien smiled proudly. He raised his head and stared at Anita.

"See? _This_ is a proper head massage."

"Mmmh..."

_If I go on like this, he will fall asleep in my hands. Bah, Anita is asleep as well, he might as well take a nap._

Lucien continued until he felt his shoulder was carrying all of Mundy's weight. At that point, he stopped the massage. He looked down at Mundy. His chest was slowly raising and falling. Lucien bent his head and left a kiss on his head.

_"Dors mon amour..."_

[ _Sleep my love]_

He whispered as leant his head on Mundy's.

_"Laisse-moi te dire que tu en as de la chance Anita_ _!"_

[Let me tell you, you're very lucky Anita.]

_"C'est le meilleur homme du monde qui prend soin de toi, j'espère que tu en es consciente."_

[It's the best man in the world who is taking care of you, I hope you've realised that.]

_"Tu ne trouveras pas plus doux et gentil... Beau aussi, à sa manière."_

[You won't find a sweeter or more kind-hearted man... Handsome as well, in his own way...]

The bird opened her dark eyes and looked at Lucien.

_"Il est tout simplement rare. Où peux-tu encore trouver un homme aussi simple et gentil?"_

[He is merely rare. Where can you still find such a simple and kind man?]

Anita stood up.

_"Oui, je l'aime, passionnément, à la folie, je l'aime au point de faire l'impensable pour lui. Je n'avais jamais ressenti ça."_

[Yes, I love him, passionately, madly, I love him to the extent of doing what you can't think of, for him. I had never felt that.]

Anita shook her wings and took a step aside from her eggs. Lucien squinted and saw one of the eggs move.

"Mundy, mon amour?"

He kissed Mundy on his head to wake him up.

"Hm?"

Mundy opened his eyes slowly.

"I think your babies are arriving."

Lucien was half whispering. Mundy straightened his back and bent forward to see better.

"Oh my God you're right! Wait a second..."

He jumped up, opened a drawer and grabbed a camera, he switched the lights in the enclosure on. Lucien stood up as well.

"Look, Mundy, it's cracking!"

"Yes! C'mon mate, break that shell!"

The egg cracked enough so that a tiny fragile beak pointed out.

"Oh! There it is!!"

"Beauuuutiful..."

Mundy was eagerly taking pictures of the hatching. The young falco chick's head emerged as well as its feet. Some of the other eggs cracked as well.

"It looks so... fragile!"

"Yeah well, it needs lots of food and warmth to become a proud falco but they'll all get there, given a bit of time!"

Mundy put the camera aside, on the desk. He grabbed Lucien by his waist and pulled him closer.

"Well, Monsieur Mundy, you are now the proud father of young falcos, congratulations."

"I accept and recognise these chicks as mine on one condition."

He raised his index finger. Lucien got surprised, he raised his head to look at Mundy.

"You accept to be the father with me."

"What? You're the one taking care of these birds, I didn't contribute at all!"

"That's very wrong."

Mundy looked down at Lucien's eyes.

"First, you're here for their birth."

"Well, that's because you're here."

"Second, those birds would never have mated if I didn't train them-"

"Oui, exactly, that's all you!"

"No! If I put so much patience and effort in this, it was originally to-!"

Mundy stopped talking for an instant and blushed. He lowered his head.

"What is it? Tell me mon amour, whatever it is, I can hear it and understand it."

Mundy took a deep breath.

"It was originally for you... The show I'm rehearsing with the birds is for you. As a thanks for everything you're doing for me. You were my first friend here and now you're... you're..."

Lucien smiled. Mundy pit his fingers under Lucien's chin and raised it up, to meet his gaze.

"Bloody hell... You're everything! I wanted to do something to repay all this. The afternoons and days of practising French, the hours and hours of efforts, and then that night when you invited me to dinner and you told me it was fine that I... well... preferred men... I won't ever forget that. You were the first person ever to know that about me. Some people might have doubts but I am certain nobody knows for sure, but you. And you accepted me, just like that, even after the years at Mann Co., even after my reputation of a _gross freak_ there... Even after all that, you were there. When I collapsed because... well it was hard accepting that I loved you and it was even harder to let myself go for you... And then those songs, your voice, _your bloody voice_..."

"It is nothing, mon amour. You have done far more for me."

They were both smiling to each other, their faces only a few inches apart. Mundy bent his head and rested his forehead on Lucien's, holding his hands. The Frenchman felt the grip on his hand tighten. He felt Mundy's forehead grow hotter.

_What the..._

He sniffed.

_Mon Dieu..._

Lucien put his hands around Mundy's neck and slided them up to his cheeks slowly.

_"Sshhh... Je suis là, tout va bien."_

_[Shhhh... I am here, everything is fine.]_

Mundy's tear flowed along his cheek and got caught by Lucien's finger. He wiped it. Mundy had his eyes closed, he was too afraid to feel the pressure from Lucien's eyes. The latter closed his eyes and buried his head in Mundy's chest, wrapping his arms around his back.

_"Dis-moi, parle-moi..."_

_[Tell me, talk to me...]_

"I'm sorry... It's happy tears..."

Lucien felt mundy's hand behind his back and the other behind his head. Mundy tightened his grip on Lucien.

"I'm so glad you're with me, for this. I mean it sounds ridiculous... Sorry, luv'... It's bloody ridiculous... I'm happy and I have tears. Bloody hell!"

He put his lips on Lucien's head and kissed him. Lucien raised his head.

"It's not ridiculous, you have the right to be happy."

Mundy let go of Lucien and wiped his eyes.

"See this one?"

He was pointing at one of the chicks, the one that hatched first. Lucien nodded.

"His name will be Lucien."

"Oh... Merci mon amour, but you really don't have to."

"No, I don't, but I want to."

Mundy smiled.

"Look at him closely, his head."

Lucien took a step forward and leaning on the desk, he squinted. The chick was blond but had a black hairs at the top of his head with a touch of white at the front.

"He has the same hair colour as you."

Lucien smiled.

"Oooh indeed! Now we need to find one with hair that fall in front of his eyes because it's been ages that he didn't go get a haircut... And then, we shall call it Mundy!"

"Oi! I wanted to but I just got busy! Besides you're exaggerating, it's not really in front of my eyes!"

Lucien was about to answer but Mundy was quicker.

" _You_ are. And that's much better."

Lucien raised an eyebrow.

"Your flirting technique is definitely getting better, you're making me worried!"

"Oh?"

"If you go on like that, you might become a man-magnet, attracting any man that's in a mile around you!"

"Ah, is Mister jealous now?"

"Jealous and threatened! _I'm_ usually the magnet!"

"Well, what can I say, I'm bringin' a bit of competition on your territory, mate!"

Lucien laughed.

" _Mon Dieu,_ thank God we're really together!"

"Yeah... You know what I'm thinking?"

"Mh?"

"We should take a picture with those chicks and then go see in the other enclosures if other eggs have hatched."

"Oh, now you're going too far!"

Lucien was of course pretending to be angry but Mundy didn't get it at first.

"Whot?"

"First you spend your nights with ladies and now you want to take pictures _with chicks_."

"Yeah, and?"

"Mundy, _chicks!"_

"Oooh!"

That's it Mundy got the play of words. He facepalmed himself.

"Good Lord mate, you never stop..."

Lucien took the camera and took a step back and positioned himself in such a way that he could take a picture of Mundy with anita and her babies behind the window, behind him.

"Non, now smile for the camera! Show the world how happy you are to spend your night surrounded by _ladies_ and _chicks!"_

_**\-- Author's notes --** _

Hey! Thanks for reading!

As always, I read all reviews and comments and they boost me up! :D

Thanks to the discord crew :)

See y'all around!


	29. Chapter 29

\- _A couple days later -_

"Oh, hey, Jay! What are you doing here?"

Mundy was working at the zoo and got surprised by Jeremy's arrival.

"I got bored... I mean I have nothing to do, I finished filling a notepad with drawings. So I thought I might come and see you, maybe I can give a hand?"

Mundy smiled.

"Well, I'm afraid you'll get bored here too, here is my new assistant, George. George, this is Jeremy."

They shook hands.

 _I shouldn't tell George that Jay is Lucien's son. He would go and repeat it to Maman France as well as the other kids... No, I'll let Lucien manage that as he wants._..

"George, d'you think you can handle this on your own?"

"Yes, I think I can."

"If you need me, use the walkie-talkie."

George nodded. Mundy led the way and walked with Jay through the alleys of the zoo.

"So, you draw on notepads?"

"Well, I love drawing. Back in Boston I used to draw a lot. Mom always encouraged me too."

"Did you take any lessons?"

"Nah, mom didn't have the money for that."

"Fair enough... But Jay..."

Mundy turned to face the young man and raised an eyebrow.

"What _really_ brings you here?"

"What?!"

"Jay, I'm starting to know you... You came here, fiddlin' with your fingers, evading my eyes. You're up to something."

Jay sighed.

"Alright, alright, I... I'd like to uhm..."

Mundy looked at Jeremy. He was fiddling with his fingers, his back hunched slightly and his eyes locked on his shoes.

"Take your time."

Jay looked left and right, and above his shoulders. He whispered.

"I'd like to ask Mélanie out for a dinner."

Mundy smiled.

"As I said the other day, you should ask your dad for this sort of advice. Out of us two, _he_ is the lady killer."

"Last time I did, it ended up badly."

Mundy raised his eyebrows.

"Your father has changed a lot. I'm sure he'll really help you this time."

"Maybe... But I don't know how to talk to him about that."

Mundy put his hand on the young man's shoulder.

"He's a very simple man at heart. Just sit down with him and tell him you need his help. I'm sure he'll drop everything and help you. But you're family to me now. I'll help you."

Jay's face radiated with a warm smile.

"Thanks, pal."

"I can tell you what you could do."

"Yeah."

"You got options, depending on how... uhm... how _shy_ you are."

Mundy started enumerating the options, counting them on his fingers.

"First, you can go directly and ask her. She's a nice lady, I'm sure she'll accept."

Jay blushed.

"Or, you ask me to ask her but that would be a mistake, believe me!"

They both laughed.

"Or, you could also write somethin' to her and I give her the letter."

"Hm... I like the idea of the letter but I'm not good with words... And if I do that, it would be good to write in French."

"Oh, don't look at me like that, my level of written French is as good as yours!"

"You can speak it really well though!"

"Well that's all thanks to your dad."

"Yeah, how ironic..."

"What d'you mean?"

Jay went and sat on a nearby bench, Mundy followed him.

"My dad had always been a problem to me, for my whole life, for as long as I can remember. But now, it's like he's changed from one extreme to another. He's changed from main problem in my life to solution for everything! Even to go out with a girl!"

"I agree with you. I mean, he's changed _a lot_."

They both stood there in silence, watching the visitors come and go in front of them.

"I'd like to thank him."

Mundy raised his eyebrows.

"Oh."

"Yeah, y'know, cause he's been very welcoming and all that... Also, the other day he really seemed honest with me when he said he was proud of me, and that he hadn't left because he didn't want me. He really did want a child. And when I first phoned him, I thought I'd still be talking to the cold-blooded spy he was. Part of me even thought that he would hang up on me after telling me it was a prank... or maybe he had tricked me and given me a wrong number... But when he answered, it was really him, Lucien. I recognised his voice. He was calm, he didn't sound surprised, which makes sense I guess. Maybe he knew I'd call him at some point."

"He did."

"Really?"

"Yeah, he told me."

"What did he say?"

Jay looked very eager to know, it warmed Mundy's heart to see the young man cared so much.

"He said 'I knew he would call, he's kind hearted... like his mother.'."

Jay smiled but his eyes betrayed the sadness, or rather the bitterness he was feeling.

_Deep down, he wishes his parents were still together. Poor boy, I can only imagine what it feels like._

"How did he know?"

Mundy smiled.

"That's your father in a nutshell. He reads through people and rarely makes a mistake. He's extremely clever in that regard... Reminds me of the time he guessed I was, well, _not interested in girls."_

"Oh? Didn't you tell him?"

Mundy shook his head.

"Nah, he guessed it... And he got me scared to the bone."

"Why?"

"Because noone ever knew about that, even my parents still don't."

"Ah, I see. D'you think they wouldn't accept that?"

Mundy sighed.

"I just don't know, mate... But for your dad, I'll risk it."

Mundy frowned. He looked like a man for whom that was a big decision. Jeremy raised his eyebrows and opened his mouth in surprise.

"We agreed to go visit my parents after the eggs hatch."

"Wow... That's... Brave. "

"It is. I have no idea how they'll react. They might welcome it with open arms or they might throw me out the house."

"Listen, I remember you talking to your parents frequently at Mann Co. They seem to care about you, I'm sure they'll be okay with it."

Mundy turned to Jay.

"Is that what it sounded like on the outside? Pfft... My dad was always trying to make me quit that job, callin' me a _'crazed gunman'_... Mum agreed with him but she saw that I was good with huntin' so she would tell me the same, only in a nicer way."

Jay put a hand on Mundy's shoulder.

"They did that 'cause they cared for you, pal. They didn't want you to risk your life all the time. Guns are dangerous, one time you're the one pointing a gun and the next, you have a barrel against your temple..."

Mundy smiled.

_Lucien was right. He is very kind hearted, he speaks like my mum..._

"I guess you're right."

"But wait, talking about parents, have you met his?"

"Lucien's?"

"Yeah."

"I've met with his mum... But I guess you should ask him directly about those things. I shouldn't be the one explaining his family tree to you."

"Fair enough..."

Mundy jumped out of the bench excitedly.

"Oh, wait!"

"What? What is it?"

Mundy raised a triumphant index to the sky.

"That's it! I know! You wanted to do something for your dad right?"

"Yeah?"

"Roight, give me a second, I need to put my stuff back and I'll take you right now! He'll never see that coming!"

Mundy started running back to the birds' section.

"Wait-what?!"

Jay was confused. Mundy added, while running away.

" _The kitten will be a tiger! Hahaha!"_

Jeremy raised an eyebrow.

_What the hell is he thinking about?!_

Mundy came back.

"Follow me!"

Jeremy walked close to Mundy. The latter explained his idea to Jeremy, roughly. The young man got more and more surprised as Mundy developed his plan. They walked through the busy street of the capital and soon stopped.

"Roight, so, you know what you have to do?"

"Yeah, yeah, I got it, easy enough."

"Pick carefully cause we're gonna walk for a bit after that and we won't be able to come back if you forgot anything."

"Don't worry."

"I'll wait for you here."

"Okay."

Jeremy pushed the shop's door. Mundy leant his back against a wall next to the shop and waited.

Oh Lu', you'll never, ever, see that coming. You'll be so surprised...

Mundy laughed on his own.

And you can't tell me you knew that it would happen, ooh no!

He dreamt away, thinking about how surprised Lucien would be. He smiled without even realising it.

"Right, I got everything, let's go!"

Jeremy's voice broke Mundy's train of thoughts and he led the way.

"Ah! You got a bag full of them!"

"Yeah, I want it to be perfect."

"Good, let's go!"

**_\- Author's notes -_ **

Hey! Thanks as always :D

I hope you liked it! Now, can you guess what Mundy is planning? ;) Let me know either here or on my discord server, where I post updates on my progression. Here's the link _(please join only if you're over 18)_ :

the usual and in the end, /BPbVqct

See y'all around! :D


	30. Chapter 30

Both men had walked across Paris for quite a long time. Mundy was leading and walking resolutely. Jeremy was following him, equally eagerly. Mundy finally stopped.

"That's it."

Mundy pointed in front of him, at the end on the alley.

"Woah... He did that?!"

"Yeah."

"On his own?"

"Yeah."

Jeremy got closer to the wall. Some pigeons who were enjoying the peace and quiet flew away. Jeremy brushed his fingers on the wall.

"It's..."

"Impressive, yeah and quite old now."

Silence fell in the alley.

"You sure the police won't come and arrest me for this?"

"Nah, you'll be fine."

"How can you be so sure?"

Mundy wanted to answer the true reason why but decided to lie instead.

"Well your dad painted his version of it without getting caught, so can you!"

He couldn't tell the truth, not just now. But he smiled slightly.

"Can you tell me more about this? I'll start working on it but fully understanding it will help."

"Sure."

Jeremy put the bag on the floor and got the first spray can out. Mundy pushed a crate to sit on and started the story.

"Your father didn't have a simple childhood."

Jeremy shook the can in his hand.

"Tell _me_ about it..."

"He... Well, to cut a long story short, he found himself living in the streets quite early in life. And that's by his own will. He fled his father because he hated him. If you wanna know more, ask him."

Jeremy turned the visor of his cap around and started.

"Hm."

"So a lady welcomed him and helped him, she basically raised him. But she was also busy with other kids that she had collected in the streets, over the years, like your dad. So sometimes he'd be alone. And that's when he'd get into trouble, releasing his frustration and anger at people around him. And he was as slim as you and didn't know how to fight. So countless times, he'd end up covered in injuries... So that lady, which to this day he considers as his mum, said to him that he should draw the man he wanted to become on that wall."

"Hm."

"He obeyed. He painted _'the man on the wall'_ and each time he was angry or sad, or even happy, he'd come here and talk to him."

Jeremy put that can down, took another one.

"He kinda looks like him."

He shook it and opened it before spraying the paint on the wall.

"Yeah, he does... He... Well, not sure if I'm supposed to tell you that so please, keep it to yourself, will ya?"

Jeremy turned to face Mundy and nodded.

"Roight, this man he's painted, uhm... it's... _it's_ _his dad._ "

Jeremy stopped spraying the paint and took a step back. His index released the pressure on the spray can and it fell on the floor, the metallic sound of the can hitting the ground resonating in his head.

"What?! Is that-?"

"Yeah, it's your grandfather."

"Oh, jeez..."

The young man was impressed. He took a minute or so to take it in. He then slowly got close to the wall again and crouched. He took the spray can off the ground and he took another one in his left hand. He frowned and took a deep breath.

"I will not mess this up."

Mundy did not answer and only the sound of the spray could be heard. Jeremy looked very focused, his arms swinging fast sometimes and other times, he would lean in, be slower, paying more attention to small details, his face a mere inch away from the wall.

Mundy stayed silent and watched. It was the first time he saw Jeremy being silent for such a long time. He watched as _the_ _man on the wall_ slowly got back to life with bright colors. The vest was dark blue again, with a glossy shine with made it reflect the sunlight from the sunset beautifully. The shirt was back to being bright shining white and the tie was navy blue, to match with the vest and trousers. The black gloves in the hand got a new layer of black, a matte black with some very dark grey details which, from Mundy's point of view made them look like they were made of velvet. The shoes were painted in a glossy black and Jeremy spent some time on the reflection of the light on it so that in the end, they looked like they got a fresh layer of shoeshine on. Jeremy then stood up and got busy with the face. The first layer was skin colour and sprayed rapidly. It covered most of his face. He then switched to darker tones and covered the cheeks, where the beard would grow, and above his lips. The shadows were the last to come, as well as the hair.

In a couple of hours, Jeremy managed to bring _the man on the wall_ back to life. Mundy had been watching silently, in awe. He was happy for Lucien, in aniticipation. He knew how much he would appreciate it.

When Jeremy finished, he turned to Mundy. He had wiped his hand on his tee-shirt countless times during the painting process so his torso now looked like an abstract piece of art. He stepped aside.

"Right."

Mundy opened wide eyes and blinked several times.

"It's... bloody brilliant mate! It's amazing!"

Jeremy stood next to Mundy who was still sat on the crate and looked at the wall. He bent his head on one side.

"Yeah, it's alright."

"What do you-? It's amazing! I'm... It's... Mate, you truly have a gift for this!"

"I used to paint a lot of graffiti in Boston, that's how I learnt."

"Well, you're a bloody good artist!"

Jeremy turned to Mundy.

"I was thinking..."

"Hm?"

"I could... I mean I don't know if I can but..."

Mundy raised an eyebrow.

"What are you thinking about?"

"Can I paint _my_ man on the wall, next to his?"

Mundy's eyes widened.

"Of course you can! That's a very good idea! I'm sure he'll love it! Oh, wait..."

"What?"

"Mate, it's getting late, I mean... Thing is, if we take too long, he'll look for us and you know your dad, he has ears and eyes everywhere, he'll find us pretty quickly..."

"How long do I have?"

"Mate, you took more than an hour and a half to restore this, it-"

" _How. Long."_

Jeremy said it very calmly but Mundy heard the determination in his voice.

"One hour, at best."

"Right."

He crouched and took two spray cans again, one in each hand. He shook them.

"Tell me the time every ten minutes."

"Alright."

Mundy sat cross-legged and watched. The young man was putting more energy in the painting, wiping the sweat off his brow repeatedly. He started mumbling to himself. Mundy was announcing the time every ten minutes. He couldn't understand what the young man was mumbling and thought he was only saying out loud what he was doing. But little by little, his tone grew louder and louder.

"...you were never there! And oh my god, I was furious! So fucking furious! And I thought you never wanted me, you left mom and I cause you were a coward!"

He shouted that last word and paused for a second. His voice resonating in the cul-de-sac.

"And I hated you, I've hated you all my life! I thought you were nothing but a heartless monster...! You know what? Turns out you were! You LYING!"

Mundy opened wide eyes but did not interrupt him. Black paint flowed in the air and collided on the wall under the graceful, quick and precise movement of Jeremy's arm.

"BACKSTABBIN'!"

Brown flew and splashed the wall violently.

"ARROGANT!"

Red hit the wall.

"SELFISH!"

Beige.

"OVER-CONFIDENT!"

Grey.

"BASTARD!"

Jeremy very quickly sprayed some white here and there and stopped. Mundy was speechless. The painting was far from done but Jeremy had shouted so loud that it scared him for an instant. He was now breathing loudly and that was the only sound to be heard. Jeremy put the cans he had in his hand down, slowly and took 2 others.

"But..."

His hands waved slowly again and he spoke calmly.

"Turns out you've been through shit as well..."

Dark grey.

"You didn't abandon me, or Ma', because you wanted."

Lighter grey, here and there.

"You made a mistake though."

Black again.

"But you did pay for it..."

Lighter beige on the face.

"And now..."

Darker beige on the face still. Jeremy took blue and green in his hands and shook them.

"It turns out, both Ma' and you wanted me."

He painted the eyes.

"You both loved me."

He took a step back.

"You both love me."

Mundy, whose eyes were locked on Jeremy, now raised his eyes to look at the wall.

"Crickey..."

Now, next to Lucien's _man on the wall_ , there was Jeremy's one. Both looked proud, elegant and confident. Jeremy's was wearing a dark red suit with slightly lighter vertical stripes on the vest and the trousers. Mundy's mouth opened on its own.

_The Mann Co. suit that Lu' used to wear back in the days..._

Mundy covered his mouth with his hand. Jeremy crouched and put the cans down.

"You both love me, and I can't possibly be more proud to be your son. Thanks, Ma' and merci Papa."

Silence fell for a long while. Only the cars passing by behind them distrubed the peace and quiet. Jeremy finally turned to Mundy.

"Can you please go and get him?"

"Y-Yeah, o'course."

"If I come with you..."

Jeremy pointed at his tee-shirt.

"... He might guess what we did."

Mundy hopped off the crate.

"Nah, it's what _you_ did mate."

Jeremy smiled.

"Roight, don't move, I'll be as quick as I can."

"Thanks."

\- _The flat -_

Mundy burst through the door.

"Lu'! Lu'!"

Lucien was reading and jumped on his armchair.

"What?! Are you ok? Where is Jérémy?! Is he alright?!"

"Shut up and come follow me!"

Lucien ran to the door, grabbed his vest and put it on while closing the door behind him.

"What?! Did anything happen to him?!"

"No, he's fine but you gotta come and see this, _taxi!"_

Mundy pushed Lucien in the first taxi and gave the address to the driver.

"Did you take him to Maman France without me?!"

"No! Of course not! Now, _chauffeur, si vous y arrivez en moins de 10 minutes, je vous laisse un billet de 50 Francs!"_

[Driver, if you get there in under 10 minutes, I'll leave a 50 Francs note to you!]

The driver accelerated.

"What the..."

Mundy took Lucien's hand in his. The Frenchman was surprised.

_Usually he's too prude to do that... Thank God the driver is too deeply focusing on the road ahead!_

They arrived soon and Mundy left the promised tip to the driver. He waited for the taxi to be far away and took Lucien by the hand again.

"Now, look at me."

Lucien raised his head and met Mundy's eyes. The Australian had now put a hand on each of Lucien's cheek.

"Jay and I prepared a surprise for you."

"Wh-"

"But! Before you see it, just know that the kid really put his heart and soul into this, ok?"

"Oui, Mundy."

Lucien's heart was racing. Mundy took his hand and led him in the alley. The sound of their footstep resonated.

_They came here but didn't see Maman France, what could-_

"Oh mon Dieu..."

His knees couldn't carry him and he dropped to the floor. Mundy crouched next to him and put his hands on his shoulder. Lucien put a hand in front of his mouth and tears streamed down his face. Jeremy joined him.

"I... uhm..."

Mundy helped Lucien up.

"Come."

Jérémy took his father's arm and got closer to the wall. Mundy stepped back to let them have their moment.

"I repainted yours and added mine. I hope you don't mind."

Lucien saw the paint was still fresh. He looked at Jérémy and saw the sweat on his brow, the stains of the multiple colours he used on his tee-shirt and his colourfully stained hands.

"I... I cannot find the words, Jérémy... Of course I don't mind! It's magnificent... I..."

Mundy pushed a couple crates closer to the wall and interrupted father and son.

"Mate, I think you owe him the complete story."

"Oui."

Mundy hopped on a crate while Lucien and Jérémy jumped on the other. Lucien took a handkerchief and elegantly wiped his tears. But the emotion was too strong, he bit his lip to try and block the ball of feeling that had gathered in his throat. But it was constricting him too tightly and he gave in. He started sobbing. Jeremy put his head on his father's shoulder and hugged him from next to him. Mundy smiled. Seeing father and son reuniting was wholesome. It made Mundy think about his own father and how, even though he never approved of him becoming a hunter, he missed him.

"I'm... sorry... _Pardon, Jérémy... Excuse-moi, s'il te plaît..._ "

[I'm sorry Jeremy... Accept my apologies, please...]

"No worries. Take your time."

Lucien sniffed and took a deep breath.

"Right, so, I guess Mundy told you at least parts of my story."

"Yeah."

"Well, here's my version."

He paused for a second to gather his thoughts.

"I was born in a fairy tale of a family, a family that existed shortly and only because of me. My father wanted an heir to his fortune so he got my mother pregnant. After a couple years, he paid her off. She knew I would get a decent education and future if I stayed with my father, so she disappeared. I grew up and realised what a monster he was, using people as objects, giving them money to bend them to his will. I hated that and I wanted to get to know my mother so I asked him, more and mlre, relentlessly."

He took a cigarette and lit it.

"He put me in his car and drove me to her, in a cemetery."

Jeremy gasped and put a hand in front of his mouth.

"That's when I decided to flee. I ended up in the streets, bitter and angry. I was very young, Jérémy, and very unexperienced at life. But I learnt very quickly, thanks to one woman. She raised me like she would her own son, among other kids that she had collected like me."

Mundy interrupted.

"Jay, remember George at the zoo?"

Jeremy raised his head.

"Yeah, yeah I do."

"He's one of those kids."

Jeremy opened wide eyes.

"Oui, Mundy met her and the kids already. Her name is Marie-France, she has been my mother for as long as I can remember having one. She taught me how to survive here but when she first met me, I was covered in bruises and blood. I had fought a group of kids and of course, I had lost miserably. I was out of myself with anger, I thought to myself that I would make them eat their teeth, even if it's the last thing I do. She talked to me for hours and hours, while tending to my bruises. She was the one to recommend that I painted this man."

Lucien hopped off the crate and stood in front of the wall. He puffed on his cigarette.

"Here is the man I dreamt of becoming as well as I feared becoming. This man is self confident, overly so, he is happy, he has accumulated all you could dream of in your life, he is surrounded by people who partly love him, partly fear him. This man you're seeing here, Jérémy, is your grand-father."

He paused.

"I guess Mundy told you already."

Jérémy nodded.

"He was a horrible man."

"Is he still... alive?"

"On this wall, yes. Otherwise, I do not want to know."

"Hm."

"Maman France had told me to come and talk to him if I was happy, sad, angry, furious, outraged. And that's what I did, for years, until..."

He hesitated, turned and looked at the Australian who was sitting on the crate.

"...I met Mundy."

Mundy opened wide eyes and blushed. He was speechless and the presence of Jeremy did not help him find his words.

"But today, not only have you repainted _my_ man on the wall, you also have added _yours._ Do you know what I see here, son?"

Jeremy joined his father close to the wall and Lucien put his hand around Jeremy's back and rested it on his shoulder.

"I see a fine gentleman. Someone who has been through hardships, someone whom life did not spare."

He rested his head on Jeremy.

"But someone who has grown to be an outstanding human being, that's what you are Jérémy. And what you did today... Know that what you did today will stay here..."

He put his index finger on his head.

"... and here..."

He put his finger on his chest.

"...for as long as I breathe, merci Jérémy. Merci beaucoup, mon fils."

[Thanks a lot, my son.]

" _De rien, Papa."_

_[You're welcome.]_

Mundy joined them and stood at Lucien's right, holding his hand. There they were standing, a family that life tore apart and sewed again, differently, better maybe. The pigeons cooed as the three men enjoyed what life had given them. To Jérémy, life had given a father, one father who was better than what he could expect. To Mundy, life had given a companion for life, finally someone with whom he could share anything with. To Lucien, life had given back a son that it had taken away from him, thus tearing him inside for years. But life turned kind enough to give him that one person brave and patient enough to take a needle and sew back his ripped pieces into a colourful patchwork, as colourful as the wall the three of them were standing in front of.

**_\- Author's notes -_ **

Thank you for reading!

As always, please drop a line to say what you thhought of this one!

Special round of applause to Deathtothecrows who guessed what would happen in this one! ;)

I'll see y'all on discord and around here for chapter 31!


	31. Chapter 31

 

" _Tout le monde est prêt?"_

_[Is everyone ready?]_

_"Oui, Lucien, c'est bon!"_

_[Yes, Lucien, it's fine.]_

_"Très bien."_

_[Very well.]_

Lucien adjusted his gloves on his hands. He was standing right behind the thick red curtain.

"Wait."

He turned.

"Your bowtie..."

Mundy was now in front of him and adjusting Lucien's bowtie, he added:

"... There we go, that's better."

"How do I look?"

Mundy went to Lucien's ear and whispered.

" _Irresistible. If we were alone, I would untie that bloody bowtie."_

Lucien blushed lightly and smiled.

"Merci..."

His eyes were saying "Merci mon amour" but his mouth had to stop at "Merci.".

" _Et maintenant, Mesdames et Messieurs, le Grand Lulu et son ensemble!"_

[ _And now, Ladies and Gentlemen, the grand Lulu and his band!]_

The audience applauded as Lucien stepped out in the light. He walked to the microphone and bowed in thanks. He was alone on the stage as he had insisted on having a word before singing.

"Merci, merci, ladies and gentlemen, tonight I shall speak English. Why? Because I have the honour and the pleasure to sing for the difficult and demanding of audiences."

He paused only for an instant.

"Ladies, gentlemen, who?! Who is always looking up to you? Whom do you never want to disappoint? For whom would you sacrifice _your very skin_?"

The curtain slided and opened.

A shy violin started playing some long sad notes. Lucien's voice was very soothing, he was almost whispering.

_"Il viendra_

_[He'll come]_

_I_ _l viendra tout droit_

_[He'll come right from]_

_Du coeur des étoiles_

[ _The heart of stars]_

_Se poser sur mon bras_ "

_[He'll drop on my arm]_

Lucien took the microphone off its stand and started walking on the stage as the rest of the instruments pitched in, little by little. First the drums and the bass, then the accoustic guitar.

_"Il naîtra d'un trop grand amour_

_[He'll be born out of a love too great]_

_Qui vit le jour_

_[_ _Which began]_

_Un soir de velour_ _s"_

_[On a velvet night]_

Lucien turned and face Jérémy straight in the eyes, standing proudly. Mundy walked to the front of the stage, his saxophone answering Lucien's lines.

_"Il aura de toi_

_[He'll get from you]_

_Ce qui me touche_

_[What touches me]_

_Tes yeux_ , _ta bouche"_

_[Your eyes, your mouth]_

Jérémy opened a wide mouth. He wasn't understanding the lyrics but he could feel his father was singing for him, and he was surprised! What a voice! Lucien was singing very softly, his eyes still locked on his son. Jeremy's eyes then met with Mundy's. The Australian was smiling at the same time he was playing and he too was helping Lucien get his message across to Jeremy, despite the language barrier.

Lucien continued singing but soon there was an instrumental bridge. He let the musicians do their job but before singing again, he spoke.

"Ladies and gentlemen, this song I dedicate to my one and beloved son, my child, _la chair de ma chair."_

_[The flesh of my flesh (litterally)]_

The instruments died out slowly. Lucien walked back to the center of the stage.

"And now, for you to understand me really, I will sing in your language."

Lucien motioned the musicians. They all exited the stage but the guitarist. Lucien was handed a high stool. He took it and put it right behind the microphone. He climbed up and sat there. Mundy stayed as well, behind Lucien and a bit to his left. Lucien nodded and all the lights were killed apart from one spotlight behind him. The outline of his silhouette shone brightly while the rest of him was dark. He took a cigarette out and lit it. The flame shone brightly in the dark background and the smoke slowly danced and waved. He nodded and the guitarist started playing slowly. The atmosphere went dark but not gloomy, it was rather inviting and cosy. Lucien started singing, almost in whispers.

" _Somewhere down the road, you're gonna find a place_

_It seems so far, but it never is_

_You won't need to stay, but you might lose your strength_

_On the way"_

Lucien puffed on his cigarette. He got closer to the microphone and closed his eyes. He was mentally translating the lyrics to French, to emphasise the words that needed to be sent to Jérémy the most strongly. As he sang, only the outline of his arms and head were shining, slowly dancing and waving under the sounds of his voice, slicing through the thin cloud of smoke entailed by the bright spot of his cigarette.

" _Sometimes you may feel you're the only one_

_Cause all the things you thought were safe, now they're gone_

_But you won't be alone, I'll be here to carry you along_

_Watching you 'til all your work is done"_

He opened his eyes and thanked God for the fact that Jeremy couldn't see him. His eyes would have been glistening as tears had appeared there. It was still only the guitar and Lucien's voice, making the whole restaurant room feel quite intimate. But suddenly Lucien's silhouette disappeared. Jeremy opened wide eyes.

" _Don't be shy, even when it hurts to say"_

Lucien was singing, but where was he?

" _Remember, you're gonna get hurt someday, anyway_

_Then you must lift your head, keep it there_

_Remember what I said_

_I'll always be with you don't forget"_

Jeremy blinked multiple times, squinting at the stage.

_Where is he?!_

He looked left and right, among the customers in the dining area and the bar, wondering where his father had gone to. He was still singing but nowhere to be seen!

But suddenly, the smell of cigarette tickled Jérémy's nostrils and he felt a hand on his shoulder.

_"Just look over your shoulder I'll be there."_

A spotlight switched on and Jeremy looked behind him. Lucien reappeared, out of a small cloud of smoke, as he was so used to doing, back in the Mann Co days.

" _If you look behind you, I will be there."_

Jérémy was dumbfounded.

_How did he...?_

Lucien elegantly walked back to the stage with a cat-like gait, brushing with his gloved fingers some chairs on his way. Mundy bent down the stage and reached Lucien's extended hand. He pulled him up and the Frenchman elegantly and swiftly leapt up. He put the microphone back on its stand and finished his song. Mundy ended the piece with a saxophone solo and the music died out.

People honoured the performance with a standing ovation, including Jérémy. He whistled and cheered loudly from his table. Lucien and all the musicians stepped forward and bowed to their delighted audience repeatedly, as the applause seemed to be never-ending. They returned backstage.

" _Bravo Lucien! Quel spectacle! Quel show! Et ton tour de magie était incroyable!"_

_[Congratulations Lucien! What a performance! What a show! And your magic trick was amazing!]_

Lucien smiled.

" _Merci Pascal, mais t'ai-je vraiment surpris?"_

_[Thanks Pascal, but have I really surprised you?]_

_"Tu plaisantes! On était tous abasourdi!"_

_[Are you joking? We were all bewildered!]_

_"Merci."_

Lucien nodded slightly. His eyes met with Mundy who had finished packing his saxophone back in its case. He moved his head quickly on the side, as if to say "let's go see Jérémy". Mundy nodded back.

A couple minutes later, they joined Jeremy at _their_ table.

"Oh my God, Dad, you're like a suuuper good singer!"

Lucien chuckled.

"Merci, I'm glad you appreciated the show."

"Man, of course I did! It was insane! Your voice is so... so... elastic!"

Lucien raised an eyebrow. Mundy seize the opportunity to tease Lucien.

"Yeah, exactly, you're _elastic_ mate."

Lucien opened wide eyes at first but then smirked and raised both his eyebrows and with his half closed eyes locked on Mundy's he said:

"Oh, _you should know, yes?"_

Mundy blushed instantly, realising the inuendo Lucien was hinting at.

"That's not whot I meant!"

"Oh but that's what you said! And, Jérémy, thanks again for your kind compliments. But as you know already, I am quite gifted when it comes to imitation, so yes, I can play with my voice."

Mundy rolled his eyes up. He was thinking.

_Wait for us to be alone, I'll show you..._

"By the way, I thought of a couple ideas for your name. Would you like to hear them?"

Lucien's eyes shot to Mundy's again, and still smirking, he said.

"I can't wait!"

Mundy opened wide eyes.

_Wait, you're doing it again! Are you saying 'I can't wait' to hear the names Jeremy has thought about, or is it 'I can't wait' for us to be alone?_

Lucien, with his eyes still looking at Mundy's as if they were piercing directly to his soul, added.

"What do you think, Mundy?"

_Damn you, you bloody clever... mmh! Can't even insult you!_

Lucien's smile widened.

"Y-yeah, yeah, let's hear ya, Jay."

"Right, so, I thought of English names but then you have to tell me how it translates to French. Basically, you're the lead singer and the leader right?"

Lucien nodded.

"So what about something with 'Lulu' in it, like 'Lulu's orchestra'?"

"Orchestra is too big, we have a group, a..."

"A band, mate."

"Oui, exactly."

"Lulu's band? How does that sound in French?"

" _Le groupe de Lulu._ It doesn't sound as nice and to be honest I'm not entirely sure about having my name in it."

"Okay, fair enough..."

Jeremy dived deep in thought.

" _Bonsoir Messieurs!"_

_[Good evening gentlemen!]_

"Eh! Étienne! How are you?"

"Great, thanks! Is that him?"

Étienne looked at Jérémy's direction. Lucien nodded.

"Oui, that's my son. Jérémy, meet Étienne, one of my oldest friends and Étienne, this is my son, Jérémy."

Étienne and Jérémy shook hands.

"Ooh, he looks like you when you were younger, Lulu. His hair is a different color but I can really see you in him, which means only one thing..."

He paused for an instant.

"He must be such a ladykiller!"

The three men laughed. Both father and son blushed, Lucien as he was proud that Jérémy had a bit of him despite his growing far from him and Jérémy was proud to have inherited some of his father's good looks.

"Well... uhm... I... Not exactly..."

"Oh, don't be so shy! When he was your age, your father was the most sought after by the ladies!"

"Étienne!"

"What? It is only the truth!"

"Well, I'm much more shy and I don't really know how to... erm... approach ladies."

Étienne smiled.

"Well let me tell you that you have here the absolute master of that art! You only have to ask him and I bet all my tips of the month that you'll end up with a lady in no time!"

Mundy winked at Jeremy as if to say "See, that's whot I told you!". Jeremy blushed intensely and lowered his head.

"You only have to ask, son."

Lucien's mellow voice resonated in Jeremy's head. He nodded shyly. Mundy changed subjects, to help the young man out of that situation.

"So Étienne, can we order some drinks or are you here just to see what Lucien's son looks like?"

"My apologies, of course, what would the gentlemen like?"

The three men enjoyed the rest of their stay at the restaurant. They had enjoyed the drinks and the food. On top of that, some of the musicians, who were as curious as Étienne, came to meet Jérémy. They young man came to appreciate how popular his father was! But soon, they finished their meals and Lucien lit a cigarette. Étienne came back to the table.

"So, I hope the food matched everyone's expectations!"

"Yeah, mate, it was brilliant."

"Yeah, yeah, was very good."

"I would say the choice of wine was not the best, Étienne."

"Ah, but that's because _you're_ the expert, Lucien! By the way, do you mind if I borrow your Jérémy here for a minute?"

Jérémy looked at his father, surprised. Lucien smiled.

"Not at all."

Jérémy left the table and followed Étienne, leaving Mundy and Lucien alone.

"What do you think Étienne is asking him?"

Lucien smiled.

"Jérémy is getting a job offer here."

Mundy opened wide eyes.

"What?!"

"He used to be working as a waiter and he likes it. He could give a hand here."

"But if he accepts, that means that..."

"Yes, he would be living here in Paris."

Mundy went silent for a moment.

"Do you think he'll accept?"

"For once, I do not know."

"Really?"

Lucien nodded.

"He might accept because he wants to try or he might refuse because he wants to go back to his mother. Both answers I respect."

"He doesn't have to decide right now though."

"Non, indeed, he does not. We will see."

Jérémy came back to the table. Mundy was curious but did not dare ask as he did not know if he was supposed to know about this. Lucien broke the silence. He stood up, elegantly pushing the chair he was sitting on away.

"Jérémy, I would like you to follow me. Mundy, please come as well."

The three men exited the restaurant and found themselves in the streets of Paris. Lucien led the way. The sun had set long ago so it was pitch dark. The pale moon was shining shyly as the public lamp posts periodically shone with their orange light on the family.

"I see you know lots of people here."

"Well, oui. I grew up here. I saw those streets change and even when I was sent abroad, I would also come back and appreciate the change."

Mundy took smaller steps to let father and son at the front on the pavement. He followed them closely, his hands in his pockets. As they walked, the streets and the walls changed from the rich and old fashioned big pale bricks to the more modern and cheaper grey concrete. The posters for theatre plays and opera ballet also changed for graffiti. The smell of expensive cologne transformed into cigarette and less elegant street smells.

"You takin' us back to _the wall?"_

Lucien did not answer as they arrived and Mundy could hear a crowd of pigeons coo.

" _Maman France, je te présente mon fils."_

[ _Maman France, may I introduce you to my son.]_

A lamp post switched on and under it, the small and hunched silhouette of Marie-France. Jérémy's jaw dropped. He wasn't expecting Lucien to take him to see her so late in the night. She turned to face him, resting on her cane. The three men approached, Lucien still leading.

"Here he is, Jérémy."

She came closer and raised her head to meet Jérémy's eyes. Lucien and Mundy took a step back, to let the young man and the old lady have their space. A moment of silence passed as Jérémy was standing there, under the lamp post, in front of Marie-France.

"Jérémy, this is my mother, Marie-France."

Silence.Jérémy's heart was racing. Marie-France was squinting to see Jérémy better. Suddenly, the wrinkles at the corner of her eyes radiated and her smile made her cheek slightly fatter, emphasisng her cheek bones.

"Oh, don't stand like that! You're family, c'mere!"

She opened her slim arms, unfolding the washed out headscarf which was falling on her shoulders like wings. Jérémy happily went and wrapped his arms around the old lady, bending to meet her height.

"Nice to meet you, _Maman France!"_

"See Micky, take this kid as an example, see how relaxed and happy he is to meet me! That's how you should have behaved when we met for the first time!"

Mundy blushed and felt ashamed. He put his hand behind his neck.

"Sorry, Maman France, I uhm..."

"It's ok, oh, look at me, you... _Mon Dieu,_ you look like a younger version of your father!"

She pinched his cheeks.

"You have the same stare only yours is much, much happier than your father's when he was your age."

"What do you think of him, Maman France?"

She pulled on Jérémy's face to look at it from up close. Silence fell in the dark alley as Jérémy felt Marie-France's eyes read his soul like an open book.

"He's... Oh, _mon Dieu..._ Lucien, you have caused a _lot_ of trouble for your son, shame on you! Such a young kid and taking care of his maman like a small man... And I see the hate he had for you... ooh! Nasty! But it seems all so far away now... I think he's forgiven you... Well actually..."

She pulled his face to be better lit by the lamp post. Her eyes shot in every direction.

" _Mon pauvre enfant... Il aurait souhaité que tu retrouves sa mère et que vous viviez de nouveau ensemble."_

[ _My poor child... He wished you had come back to his mother and that you had lived together again.]_

Lucien lowered his head and Mundy put a hand on his shoulder.

_"Il sait que ça n'est pas possible mais une partie de lui le rêve encore."_

_[He knows it's impossible but part of him still dreams about it.]_

_"Pauvre enfant..."_

_[Poor child...]_

Jérémy saw the sadness on Marie-France's face but he was not understanding what she was saying. He was about to ask for a translation when Lucien's sad voice cut him.

_"C'est tout ce que tu vois?"_

_[Is that all you see?]_

_"Non._ He's very kind hearted and full of hopes for the future. He can be quite selfless despite acting like he's the opposite..."

She finally let go of Jérémy's face. Lucien raised his head but his mind was still thinking about what Maman France had said earlier.

"Also, you are very lucky."

"Yeah, I know, Dad has-"

"Not you."

Her voice stopped Jérémy mid-sentence. She pointed at Lucien.

" _You_ are very lucky."

Lucien opened wide eyes.

"Why?"

"I have seen him paint the wall. He is very talented."

Lucien smiled, so did Jérémy.

"And he did paint it the same way you did, back in the days."

Jérémy was confused.

"What do you mean?"

She took Jérémy's right hand between her two slender and wrinkly ones.

" _Mon petit,_ when your father painted his _man on the wall_ , he did not just stand there and paint. I remember he was furious, he was throwing the paint at the wall as if he was slapping and punching someone's face! He was even shouting at it, and you did _exactly the same."_

Father and son looked at each other, astonished.

"Well, now, Micky, be a good boy and bring us some crates, we've got to chat seriously."

Mundy did as told and everyone hopped on their wooden seat, Jérémy between Lucien and Mundy. Marie-France swiftly hopped up as well, putting her cane on her lap.

"Now, Jérémy, you have to be brave and tell you grandma here..."

Jérémy's heart started racing.

"... what is her name?"

He went red as a brick. Mundy put a hand on his shoulder.

"Mate, believe me, you can't hide anything from her! See your Spook of a father there? Well, she _raised_ him!"

"Ah oui Jérémy, she taught me everything!"

Jérémy looked away from his father, shyly and answered half whispering, fiddling with his fingers.

" _Mélanie."_

Immediately, Marie-France's eyes shot at Lucien.

"Did you..? What am I asking, of course you did!"

"What?"

"Lulu, don't try and lie to me, _I taught you how to lie_ so I can see when you do!"

"I... Well... I might have uhm _..._ "

"Micky, did he do it?"

"I'm sorry but I'm lost here Marie-France, what is this all about?"

"When the kid here said the name of the lady, Lulu over there could not refrain a smirk, a very slight one, but I saw it! And that means one thing: he knew that it was going to be that girl. Now, because I raised that naughty kid, I know that that smirk means that _he_ set everything up, is that true?"

Mundy blushed, he did not want to lie and he did not want to admit that yes, Lucien had mentioned Mélanie to him right before talking about Jérémy.

"Oh, you're embarrassed well enough, I have my answer!"

She grabbed her cane and hit Lucien on the shoulder.

"Ouch! What was that for?! They go beautifully together!"

"I don't want to know! You should not mess up with your son's life like that!"

"Guys, you know I'm sitting right there and I can hear you right?"

Lucien smiled.

"Sorry, son, but this a conversation between adults."

"Oi, he's a grown up too eh!"

"Yeah I am!"

" _You_ , young man, are still growing up."

"What the bloody hell are you talking about?! He's more than just a kid!"

Marie-France interrupted the banter.

"Oh yes, he is more..."

The three men looked at her with question marks in their eyes.

"He is _your_ kid, to the both of you."

She said that with a sweet voice, swinging her feet happily, as she was too short for her feet to touch the ground.

"And he is _my_ grand kid. This alley is yours Jérémy. If you ever need me, come here and I'll find you. By the way, what about you come back tomorrow and we chat about that Mélanie of yours? You could also meet with all the kids here."

Jérémy's face radiated with joy. He had won another member of his father's side of his family. Marie-France took her cane back and pointed it at Lucien.

"And _you_ , if I see you following your son or messing up with him and his life, prying around...!"

Lucien put his hands up.

"Right, right, très bien, I will not interfere!"

"Micky, you keep him busy right?"

"Yes, Ma'am!"

Lucien and Mundy exchanged a conniving and loving glance. And for the first time, Mundy managed to read in Lucien's mind. But he didn't see words, he directly felt the immense bliss that Lucien was struggling to contain. And he felt it in his guts, he felt that Lucien was struggling to not jump at him and kiss him. The Frenchman bit his lip. Mundy gulped.

"Actually, Jérémy..."

Of course the wordless exchange between Lucien and Mundy didn't go unnoticed by Marie-France.

"...I think you should stay with me tonight, would you like that?"

"Sure!"

_**\-- Author's notes -** _ _**-** _

Thank you all for reading! Let me know what you thought of this one! :D

Special thanks to the discord crew! If you're interested (and over 18) you can join us! Usual link and at the end: /BPbVqct

:D

See y'all around for chapter 32!


	32. Chapter 32

Mundy sighed. He was lying in bed, waiting for Lucien to come out of the shower. He looked at the window. The shutters were open so he could see the moon in the distance. It made him think about his life back in Australia, where sleeping under the stars was so usual for him. He thought of his family, his parents.

He had gone very deep in his relationship with Lucien and felt comfortable living with him, sharing what he is, what he feels. It had never got that far before. But would his parents accept that?

He frowned and put his hands behind the back of his head.

_I think mum would be alright... I mean, I could see her accept it, but dad..._

He sighed.

_He would never allow it. Nah, he wouldn't. "Unnatural". That's what he'd call it. He'd look at me and see... a freak, a monster, a mistake of nature._ _I can't see how_ _he would possibly understand..._ _Usually mum can change his mind, but on something as big as that, I doubt she'd be able to._

He turned his head and stared at the ceiling.

_What will I do then? Will I have to chose between Lu' and my parents? Bloody hell. I can't give up any of them. My parents, well they're my parents! And Lu' is the right bloke for me, I'm sure of it. We get along very well, we understand and respect each other. Aargh!_

He closed his eyes _and frowned._

_I really don't want to give up any of_ _them, I can't, no, I can't give up Lu'..._

A sweet and soft taste on his lips broke his train of thoughts. He opened his eyes suddenly.

"You seemed very preoccupied so I thought I would try to bring some peace to you."

Lucien said.

"Sorry luv', I didn't hear you coming in."

"I know, I made sure of that."

Lucien went to close the blinds and climbed on the bed, at Mundy's right. He sat his back against the wall.

"What were you thinking about?"

He said while adjusting the pillow behind him. Mundy sat up, cross-legged, and turned to his lover.

"I was thinking about back home."

"You're missing you're family?"

"Yeah, a bit. But I was thinking about the moment where I will tell them about _us_."

"Oh..."

"I'm... I don't know what to think, I don't know how I'll tell them. I think my mum will be fine with it but dad..."

Lucien did not interrupt, he wanted to let Mundy continue telling what he thought.

"I don't know what to think, luv'. I think... I think that my dad could get very disappointed in me. Maybe he'll... I mean I..."

Mundy grabbed Lucien's hand in his and put it against his cheek, to give him comfort. Lucien understood and put his arm around Mundy, to hug him. The Australian put his head on his shoulder, still holding Lucien's hand.

"I've just been thinking about... I mean what if he gets disappointed or even angry at me?"

_"Avec des si, on mettrait Paris en bouteille."_

Mundy raised en eyebrow.

"With 'ifs' we'd put Paris in a bottle?"

Lucien nodded.

"That means that with 'ifs' any absurd thing is possible."

"But my dad being angry at me is everything but absurd."

Lucien felt that Mundy was being dangerously serious and not exaggerating.

"What are you thinking then?"

"I don't know. That's the problem. I don't want to give up on you or on my family. I can't, I really can't."

He tightened his grasp on Lucien's hand. Lucien frowned in concern.

"Lu', I fear that I could be in a situation where I will have to choose."

Silence fell in the room. Mundy couldn't see Lucien's eyes filling with tears.

"Then it is clear what we should do, Mundy."

Mundy raised his head slightly, as if to ask what.

"If it happens that your father disapproves of us, I will go back to France and you will not hear from me again."

Mundy sat up suddenly.

" _WHAT?!_ Are you serious?!"

Lucien looked at Mundy dead in the eye.

"Oui, I am."

"But-..."

"No buts, your family is very important for you and I understand that."

"You'd give up on me and run away?"

Mundy's voice was breaking, he was struggling to not burst out in tears, bloking his cries down his throat as much as he could.

" _Imbécile, bien sûr que non! Ne comprends-tu pas?!"_

_[You imbecile, of course not! Don't you understand?!]_

Lucien's voice was growing louder and louder. He sat up, opened the drawer at his right, on the night table and got a pack of cigarettes as well as a box of matches out. He lit one and puffed on it angrily.

"I know how important your family is to you, I know and- Argh! Mundy, I just want you to be happy so if _I_ am becoming a problem, I'd rather disappear!"

"But, you..."

The Frenchman couldn't keep his calm anymore.

"I'D PREFER SACRIFICING MYSELF TO HAVE YOU HAPPY WITH YOUR PARENTS! So yes! I'd fly somewhere far, as far as I can and... _MERDE!"_

He jumped out of the bed and put his gown angrily on. He left for the living room, leaving Mundy out of breath, on the bed. He went to a window and opened it. He leant his elbows on the windowsill.

_Merde. He is right. It might be that our story will end when we go to Australia. What then?_

He puffed some smoke out. The clock struck 2 o'clock in the morning but he was boiling with too much frustration to go to bed.

_Bah, then I guess I'll go back to trying to find a lady? Pff... I don't want to. I'm tired. I don't want a lady, I don't want anyone, I want Mundy. Merde! But then what? WHAT?_

He exhaled the cigarette smoke from his nose, like an angry bull.

_Then, go back to France and stay alone. I don't want to be with anyone else. I'll just stay home, alone. I'll stop singing. I won't have anyone to sing to. I'll just stay at home._

Mundy's footsteps broke his train of thoughts. He straightened his back up, resting his hands on the windowsill. Mundy was a step away from him, behind him.

_I'm... I'm sorry luv'... I'm just thinking, you know. I don't want to make you angry, I'm just trying to anticipate and prepare myself because... Unlike you, I don't have a very thick skin when it comes to my feelings, especially the feelings I have for you._

Mundy was thinking but as usual, Lucien heard his thoughts.

"You're mistaken. I don't have a thick skin either when it comes to _us._ And on top of that, you know how angry I can get."

Mundy stepped forward. Lucien could feel Mundy's breath on the back of his neck and the smell of his cologne. He closed his eyes as a wave of sadness filled him from head to toes. He was realising that maybe he would not smell that cologne anymore.

"Lu'..."

Lucien turned and buried his head in Mundy's chest. Mundy hugged him tightly.

" _Je t'aime Mundy."_

[ _I love you Mundy.]_

"So do I."

Lucien freed himself from the embrace.

"But if the only way to make you happy and comfortable with your family is to leave, I will leave."

Mundy's eyes filled with tears. He put his hands on Lucien's cheeks and looked at his eyes intensely. It was dark in the flat but a lamp post outside shone through the open window. Lucien's light blue, almost grey eyes hypnotised Mundy for an instant. He stared at them as a tear fell, from the corner of his eye, down his cheek. Lucien smiled, even though sadly.

_"Mon amour, profitons du temps que l'on passe ensemble. Il ne nous reste peut-être que peu, mais on peut quand même en tirer le meilleur."_

[ _My love, let us enjoy the time that we have left together. It may be that not much is left, but we can nonetheless make it count.]_

Mundy sniffed and bent his head down so that his forehead touched Lucien's. He closed his eyes, his hands still on Lucien's cheeks. And they remained like that, for a long while. The clock struck 3 o'clock now and the sound of the ticks and tocks resonated in both men's head, as if now they had a limited and finite numbers of ticks and tocks to spend together.

_B_ _loody hell_ _!_

Mundy's eyes flashed open and in a quick and swift movement, he swept Lucien off the ground and carried him to the bed. Lucien was utterly taken aback and let Mundy in control. The Australian delicately put Lucien on the bed and was now towering him. He was still staring at his eyes.

_"Je t'aime, Lucien. Et quand je ne te sens pas près de moi, tu me manques."_

[ _I love you Lucien. And when I'm not close to you, I miss you.]_

Lucien's pupils dilated and he melted under the Australian's voice. He couldn't resist him when he spoke French. There was something in his voice, in his accent, something soft and warm. Something that could tickle his whole body, from head to toe, but especially right between them. He wanted to answer something to not let his lover hanging, but he could not. His body was now taking over his mind.

Mundy slowly went down and dropped his lips on Lucien's, softly first. He stayed there for a moment and felt waves travel through Lucien's body as his heartbeat accelerated. He pushed his lips harder on Lucien's and felt the Frenchman encircling his arms around his neck, losing his fingers in Mundy's hair. He withdrew his lips, just for a second.

_"Lucien, je te veux... Je... Je te... désire."_

_[Lucien, I want you... I... I... yearn for you.]_

The Frenchman lost his mind. He pulled Mundy's face against his and kissed him passionately, violently. He wanted to remember his sweet taste forever. Their breathing went a step louder as at that point, they were devouring each other like dancing flames, their fingers travelling on each other's skin, their nails scraping their backs and sides like matches on a matchbox, scarring their skin lightly, creating sizzling lines.

Lucien made Mundy turn and now _he_ was towering him. They took a second to remove any clothes that were in the way and Lucien dived back, putting his hands on Mundy's shoulders, he pushed Mundy and pinned him powerfully to the bed. He went directly to Mundy's lips but did not stop there. He wanted to remember Mundy's mouth, all of it. So he brought his tongue to the play and as usual Mundy melted under it. Lucien mapped everything there was with his tongue, his lover's teeth, his slightly more pointy canines, oh how he loved when Mundy smiled and they flashed between his lips... He spent some time playing with Mundy's tongue, teasing it, making Mundy want more, making him moan for more, making him dig his nails more strongly in his skin.

He then moved to Mundy's neck, and doing so, he had a look down south. He smiled.

_"Je vais t'enflammer, te cuisiner et dévorer, jusqu'à la moelle."_

[ _I will make you light up and burn, devour you, eat everything there is until your very bone marrow (litterally)]_

Mundy closed his eyes and bit his lip. The ticks and tocks synchronised with his heart beat and his breath, and they all accelerated in unison. Time was simply no more, how could there be such a concept as time when Lucien was kindling his skin and his soul with his touch? The flames started in Mundy's neck and propagated down to his chest, then his stomach and finally, they arrived where he was craving them to be. His body jerked up and it pushed Lucien slightly off balance.

That was it! That was Mundy's chance to get to be in control! He did not miss that opportunity and jumped to pin Lucien to the bed.

" _You have no idea how much I want you, I would fucking die for you."_

His feelings grew strong, very strong. In fact they were now too strong for him to control and he simply let go of everything that separated him from an any other animal. Restraint, moderation, delicateness. They were all gone, eaten by the fire of his desires. He dived at Lucien's neck like a powerful tiger on a fragile gazelle, pushing aside the pillows. It was only them on the big square bed. He bit Lucien's neck repeatedly, licking it afterwards to remember its taste, which he was addicted to. And Lucien did not realise but Mundy could not hold his tears back anymore and so they were streaming while he was breathing heavily, moaning, grunting almost like an enraged tiger.

Lucien just wanted Mundy, _his_ Mundy, Mundy before their dream could stop, all of him. Through his aggressive show of love, Lucien understood the despair that Mundy was trying to vent. He was making love to him as if it was the last time, as if after they were done, they would disappear, dissolve in the air like Lucien's cigarette smoke, burn out like vampires under the sunlight. A tear came to his eye. He blinked and it streamed down. From now on, their embraces, their kisses, everything they touched and shared was bound to disappear, to end. Another tear slided and soon caught up with the first one. He sniffed. Mundy's ears pricked up and he raised his head suddenly.

Both looked at each other's red eyes, slightly swollen because of the tears. They breathed heavily for a moment until...

" _NOOO!"_

Mundy collapsed on Lucien's chest hugging him as strongly as he could and sobbing heavily. Lucien let go of his tears as well.

" _Why does it have to be like that!? WHY?!"_

Mundy buried his head in Lucien's chest and his tears were flowing on his lover's chest and stomach. Lucien was holding Mundy's head on his chest and kissing his hair while crying.

" _Je ne sais pas, c'est comme ça, mon amour... Je suis désolé... Je... L'idée de vivre sans toi m'est tout aussi insupportable..."_

_[I don't know, it is what it is, my love... I am so sorry... I... I can't bear the idea of living without you either...]_

They both cried, Mundy loudly and Lucien softly. One was letting the frustration of being cornered between his parents and his lover. The other was secretly praying any God to help them appreciate their remaining moments together as much as they could. If only they could just forget about it all, if only there was a way to settle this...

Lucien sniffed and calmed down.

"Mundy, there is only one thing to do."

Mundy raised his head to meet his lover's eyes. His hair was ruffled and his face, covered in tears. He looked miserable.

"We cannot continue like that. We have to risk it and face your parents, the sooner, the better."

Mundy sat up and sniffed a couple times. He calmed down and hearing the resoluteness in Lucien's voice helped him to put his emotions aside and think.

"I guess you're right."

"Let me arrange things with Jérémy and we can fly as soon as you want."

"Oh, roight, ok. Tomorrow I'll call my parents then and let them know we're coming in a couple days, is that ok?"

" _Parfait."_

[Perfect.]

Lucien held Mundy's hand.

"I will not let go of you easily, Mundy. But your parents are something that I can't fight. And you should not fight them either, they're way too important, sacred. So, we do this together, we will try to show them that they should not see you as a monster and that I will take good care of you, right?"

"Roight, yeah, yeah..."

Mundy lowered his head.

"Mundy, look at me."

He obeyed.

"I love you too much to just let you go, do you hear me? _I love you_. Not like a friend or a relative. I love you like a cretin, like an imbecile, like a lunatic, like a fool. I love you madly."

Mundy smiled.

"So do I..."

They snuggled in each other's arms as the clock struck 4 in the morning and they managed to fall asleep, somewhat reassured and feeling that with the comfort and mutual strength they were sharing, they could break mountains.

_**\-- Author's notes --** _

Thanks for reading :D

Special thanks to the discord crew who keeps me motivated and going, thank y'all readers for your amazing feedback! :D

See y'all around for Chapter 33!


	33. Chapter 33

"Relax, it's not the first time you take the plane."

Mundy was on his seat in the plane. He was tapping his foot on the floor and his fingers on his thigh nervously. Lucien was sat next to him and seemed at peace.

"I'm not nervous because of the plane."

"I know."

Lucien was dressed very elegantly. He was wearing a white linen shirt and beige chino trousers. He removed his vest and put it on his lap. He had put his summer fedora hat on the empty seat next to him.

"I can't stop thinking about it..."

Lucien wanted to hold Mundy's hand but in a plane, with people around...?

_Oh I know!_

He took his vest and dropped it on Mundy's right hand which was on his thigh. Mundy raised a surprised eyebrow at Lucien. The Frenchman smiled. He slided his hand under the vest and held Mundy's hand. He stroked it with his thumb. Mundy blushed but relaxed. He slided his other hand in and put it on top of Lucien's. He smiled at Lucien and whispered very low, almost only moving his lips.

" _Thank you."_

Lucien nodded. The pilot announced their imminent taking off. Both men looked at each other in the eye, lovingly, and they tightened their grip on each other's hand as the engine's roar grew louder and louder.

_\-- Australia --_

"Roight, here we are!"

"Mon Dieu! Isn't it supposed to be winter here?"

"Yeah, it is, why?"

"Well this is not exactly what I would call winter!"

"Well, welcome to my world then!"

Lucien and Mundy were waiting for a taxi, right at the airport's entrance. The Frenchman put a hand in his jacket's inner pocket and took a pair of sunglasses out. He then took a cigarette and lit it.

"Ah, that's our ride home, taxi!"

They both got on the taxi and Mundy gave him the address.

_"Tes parents vivent loin de l'aéroport_ _?"_

[Do your parents live far from the airport?]

"Yeah, _il nous faudra à peu près 3 heures pour y arriver."_

[Yeah, it will take us about 3 hours to arrive there.]

Lucien opened wide eyes.

" _Désolé, ils vivent vraiment au milieu de nulle part._ _Mais tu verras, c'est très calme."_

[Sorry, they really live in the middle of nowhere. But you'll see it's very calm.]

The rest of the journey was spent smoothly despite its duration. Lucien was trying not to smoke cigarette on cigarette as he knew he would look miserable after that. Mundy chatted with the taxi driver a bit, just to get the usual news. He realised how handy it was to be able to speak French with Lucien without the taxi driver understanding. He could not show his love as the inside rear view mirror would betray them but at least he could say it. Lucien found it heart-warming as each time Mundy said something sweet, he would blush terribly bad. It made him smile.

"Roight, gentlemen, this is it."

The taxi driver stopped the car in front of a house. Mundy had not lied. It truly was in the middle of nowhere! The landscape reminded Lucien of some of the location they had to work in for Mann Co. : it was a flat orange desertic landscape, with the exception of the house and the barn.

The taxi driver gave them their luggage and drove off, leaving the two men in front of the front gate. Mundy took a deep breath. Lucien looked around. No one.

"Mundy?"

Mundy turn to face him. Lucien removed his sunglasses and pushed himself on the tip of his toes. He kissed Mundy's lips quickly. Oh how Mundy wished that brief contact with Lucien's lips would last longer...

" _Je t'aime."_

_[I love you.]_

"Me too."

They stared at each other's eyes as if it would be the last time.

"How do I look?"

Lucien put the sunglasses back in his vest pocket.

"Amazin', as you always do."

Lucien smiled.

"Merci."

Mundy sighed.

"Roight, let's do this."

He pushed the front gate. It was a wooden one and it was quite low in height. He held the door open for Lucien to enter and closed it after him. He then lead the way straight to the main door and knocked. His heart was beating faster as he waited for an answer. Lucien felt it and quickly grabbed his hand to hold it and stroke it. He had noticed that Mundy was very sensitive with them. He calmed down a bit and Lucien, hearing the footsteps approaching, slowly slided his hand away from Mundy's.

The door opened.

"Ooh! My Micky! C'mere sweetie!"

Mundy's mother was the one to open the door and she was hugging her son. Mundy had to bend quite a bit to hug her back.

"Mum, it's great to see you again."

"Ooh my Micky, it's been such a long time!"

Looking at her, Lucien saw an old woman who had worked in farms her whole life. She was far from being as thin as Marie-France but she was taller. She was wearing a light pink dress with short sleeves and a pair of brighter pink glasses. Lucien also noticed that the only jewellery she was wearing was her wedding ring.

"Is dad around?"

"Yeah, he's arranging some bits in the farm, he should come back soon. And is that your friend Micky?"

"Yes, mum, please meet Lucien, my best friend. Lucien, this is my mum, Caroline."

Lucien bowed and took her hand to kiss, removing his hat from his head.

"Delighted to meet you, Madame."

"Oh, that's a polite gentleman that we have here! You can just call me Caroline. Now come on in, you must be tired. Micky, show you friend his room and put your luggage up."

"Yes mum!"

Mundy led the way and starting to climb the stairs.

"And come back down after that, I've prepared a nice coffee for you, just like you like it!"

She shouted from downstairs.

"Will do!"

Both men arrived upstairs. There was a long corridor and doors on each side.

"This is my parent's room, this one is the bathroom, that's my room and that's yours."

Mundy opened the door to the guest room. for Lucien to enter. The light blue wallpaper had gone slightly yellow-ish with age but Lucien found the room charming, although British in its style. The furniture was made of wood and it had darkened over the years. He smiled. Mundy closed the door behind them and Lucien put his suitcase on the bed. Mundy put his on the ground and, coming from behind Lucien, he hugged him passionately, burying his head in Lucien's neck and wrapping his arms around his waist. Lucien closed his eyes and put his hands on Mundy's. Mundy left a kiss in Lucien's neck and withdrew. Lucien lowered his head.

Mundy went to his bedroom and put his suitcase on his bed. He looked around him. His wallpaper was green with tropical forest leaves motifs. Time had washed them out but he still saw them shining as brightly as they used to when he was but a child. His shelves were still full of the books he used to read, mostly animal documentaries. He turned around and his old poster were still there... Some about racing cars, one about the Aussie Rugby team, a couple of wild animals. He smiled and sighed.

_I've got to show him._

He went to Lucien's bedroom and gave a knock.

" _Oui, tu peux entrer."_

[Yes, you can come in.]

Mundy pushed the door open.

"How did you know it was me?"

_"Ton parfum."_

[Your perfume.]

"Really?!"

"Non, I'm joking, it's your footsteps."

"Oh..."

"You wanted to tell me something?"

"Uh... Yeah, come, follow me."

Mundy went to hold Lucien's hand but Lucien withdrew it, raising his index finger and shaking it from left to right.

" _Ce n'est pas prudent."_

[It isn't safe.]

Mundy blushed and nodded. He exited the room and Lucien followed him.

"Here, look at this."

Mundy pushed the door to his room open and Lucien opened a wide mouth as he stepped in.

"Here is where I grew up."

Lucien looked around and a wave of nostalgia drowned him. Mundy closed the door behind him. He looked at the wallpaper, the posters, the small wooden desk, the shelves full of colourful yet dusty books... He turned around to appreciate it all and noticed the different black pen marks with dates on the wall next to the door, to record Mundy's growth. He smiled. He grabbed a black pen from the desk.

"We need to complete this."

He pushed Mundy against the wall to add the mark and the date and stood in front of him.

"Don't cheat!"

"Oi, I'm not cheating! I'm just... you know... straightening my back, that's all...!"

Lucien raised an eyebrow.

"Stay still..."

Lucien pushed himself on the tip of his toe and raised his eyes to add the mark on the wall.

"Voilà!"

His eyes lowered back and that's when he felt the urge... He was pressed against his lover's chest, and on the tip of his toes, his lips were right in front of Mundy's. He bit his lip and stared at Mundy's lips. Mundy slightly bent forward, just to see if Lucien would do it.

_Merde, je ne peux vraiment pas lui résister..._ _[Shit, I really can't resist him...]_

Lucien pressed his lips against Mundy, and both melted. Those few shows of love were much stronger than usual as both knew what they were risking, should they get caught.

"Micky!"

Lucien jumped back and both men went red as a brick. Caroline was calling from downstairs.

"You coming Micky? Coffee will get cold!"

"Comin'!"

He looked down at Lucien and took a deep breath. They took a couple seconds for the blush on their cheek to disappear. Mundy smiled.

"We look like two teenagers hiding to make out without getting caught by their parents... Ridiculous..."

He started laughing slowly and Lucien joined in the laughter.

" _C'est vrai, on a l'air absolument ridicule...!"_

[It's true, we look absolutely ridiculous...!]

They calmed their laughter.

"Roight, let's go."

They went downstairs and met with Caroline in the kitchen. Lucien found the kitchen very beautiful in its rustic style. The walls were covered in white tiles with flowers painted on a few of them. There were three sets of windows through which one could see the farm and the barn. The French window was open and a cat entered.

"Come on, sit down boys! Lucien, are you ok with coffee or would you like some tea?"

"I am perfectly fine with coffee, Madame, merci. And I can't wait to try _your_ coffee, Mundy advertised it so well!"

Caroline sat down and the two men did the same. She put a hand on her heart.

"Oh, my poor Micky has missed my coffee...!"

"It's the only coffee with milk I can drink, I don't know how you make it but it's delicious!"

She poured the coffee in three white porcelain cups and handed each to a guest. It looked like a capuccino with a very foamy top of cream.

"Thank you sweetie. Help yourself to the biscuits too, don't be shy Lucien and please, do call me Caroline!"

"Merci... Caroline."

Mundy blushed as Lucien said it with a French accent. He loved Lucien's French accent. It was not too strong and not too faint so he could perfectly understand him and, well, he thought the French accent really lived up to its reputation. It was irresistible.

The white cat purred as it circled around Lucien's foot.

"So, I should thank you Lucien, you helped my Micky find a job I understand?"

"Well, he did find his job at the zoo on his own but for the one in the restaurant yes. He is an amazingly good and talented saxophone player!"

"Yeah, he is very good!"

She put her hand on Mundy's and stroked it. He smiled and took a sip of his coffee.

"And you sing in that band of yours, roight?"

"Oui, I have that pleasure."

"You will have to show us both, eh? Just a bit, to see."

"Whenever you like, I'm sure Mundy and I-uh, Mundy?"

Mundy turned to look at Lucien, he was pointing at his mouth. While taking a sip, a moustache of white cream had appeared on his upper lip.

"Whot?"

Mundy put his hand on his mouth.

"Sweetie, the cream."

"Aah, yeah, that always happens, sorry mate!"

Lucien laughed while Mundy wiped it off.

"No worries, so yes, I was very nicely surprised to hear him play. I did not expect him to be that good!"

"But you had met before, haven't you?"

"Yeah, the Mann Co. contract, that's where we met."

Mundy added.

"And you were a Sniper as well?"

"Non, I was the Spy."

"Ooh, that sounds exciting! What was your job then?"

"Well, I don't know if that's a conversation for a lady uhm..."

"Oh, come on! I love good spy and detective stories!"

Mundy smiled.

"She loves Agatha Christie's stories."

"Yeah, and I read them all!"

Lucien and Mundy chuckled. It warmed Mundy's heart to see his mother get along so well with Lucien.

"Well, my job consisted in infiltrating enemy lines and-oh hello, you!"

The cat had jumped on Lucien's lap.

"Oi, that's how I get greeted back, eh? I go away for months and you jump on Lu's lap?"

Caroline opened wide eyes.

"Oh that's unexpected! Phoebe usually doesn't get close to strangers, even worse, she sometimes hisses at them! You seem to have a good connection with her!"

"Well, I'm jealous!"

Mundy said, crossing his arms jokingly. Caroline and Lucien laughed.

"What can I say? I have my little success with felines!"

"And ladies, I assume?"

Mundy nearly spat his coffee out.

"Mum!"

"What? He's a charming gentleman with manners and elegance, it's only normal that all the ladies should fall in his arms!"

"Well, they used to, yes, but not anymore."

"Oh, I guess you've found your lady a long time ago and now you're settled, right?"

Mundy went red as a brick and buried his face in the cup of coffee.

"I have indeed found my soulmate, so no need to look more."

Mundy was surprised at how easily Lucien was answering and how calm he remained.

_I can now see how he became one of his country's best_ _spook..._

"You could have brought her with you here! You left her in France all alone?"

"Thank you very much for your offer but she took that opportunity to go visit her parents as well."

"Do you get along with them?"

"Ha, Caroline, you are touching a delicate subject here!"

"Oh, sorry, Lucien I don't mean to be intrusive."

"It is fine, I can talk about this. Besides, you're my _best friend's_ mother, so I really see no problem with that."

He raised his cup to sip his coffee and, while hiding his face from Caroline, he tilted his head slightly to Mundy and winked at him.

_Bugger... Bugger... Bugger..._

Mundy was panicking and hid it poorly and seeing how well his lover handled the situation scared him as much as it amazed him. Lucien put the cup back on the wooden table.

"To be honest with you, I have not met them yet. She must be talking about me to them as we speak!"

"Ooooh! How exciting! You must have found each other not that long ago then, roight?"

Lucien raised his eyes as if to try and recall the day he first met with _her._

"Well, now that I think about it, it must have happened around the same time as when Mundy landed in France."

Mundy could not take it anymore.

"Uhm, excuse-me, I'll be right back."

He went away and locked himself in the bathroom, leaving Lucien and his mother alone.

"Oh, he'll be right back."

Lucien smiled politely.

"No doubt."

"So, how did you become such good friends? My Micky rarely had any friends. I remember when he was a kid. As you know, we live quite far from the nearest village so he didn't have much occasions to speand his weekends with friends. He'd usually help us in the farm, he'd also go hunting and fishing with his dad sometimes."

"I guess that's how he learnt hunting and using a rifle?"

She took a sip of her coffee.

"Yeah, that's how he started."

"To answer your questions, I think that we are very different, Mundy and me. But that somehow is the reason we get along so well. We complete each other if you want."

"Oh I can see easily that you're very different from him, you're much more... _French_ , no offense."

"None taken Caroline, I know what you mean."

"Tell me, you've been knowing him for quite a while now, right?"

"Oui."

"Do you think he's happy?"

Lucien was about to sip his coffee but on hearing that question, he slowly put the cup down on the table.

_Oh, ho, ho, my time to ask the questions now!_

"Yes, I think he is, very much so. Or so he was in Paris at least. He completely changed from his almost taciturn behaviour that he will always be remembered for in Mann Co. to a more sensitive, and somehow lighter man. It is almost poetic. Why do you ask? Was he sad before?"

She sighed. Lucien could see a preoccupied mother, worried for her only son. It warmed his heart.

"I don't know if you know but we pushed him to go travelling. He looked sad like a fish swimming round and round in his small fishtank here. We'd hoped that he could find something... _or someone for that matter..."_

She looked left and right before continuing.

"You don't know if he...?"

"Oh, you'd have to ask him directly."

"So you don't know?"

_Ah, she's clever._

Mundy entered the room again.

"That is not what I said, Caroline."

He took his cup and sipped his coffee again.

"Oh, you're back Micky."

"Yeah, sorry again."

"No problem, dear."

"What were you talking about?"

Caroline was about to answer when someone entered the kitchen.

"Micky!"

Mundy turned and saw his dad with his arms wide open. He jumped out of his chair and hugged him.

"Ah!! Dad, so good to see you!"

"Good to see you too Micky!"

Mundy's father was a bit shorter than him. He was clean shaven and was wearing green rubber boots, a chequered shirt and a some overalls.

"Dad, this is Lucien, my best friend."

"Good day to you and nice to meet you, Monsieur."

Lucien shook Mundy's father's hand, bowing his head slightly.

"And Lucien, this is my dad, Michael."

"You can call me Mike, welcome to Australia, son, and welcome to this house."

Lucien smiled. He was so happy to be welcomed as warmly as that. Meanwhile Mundy was as happy as he was nervous.

"Roight, Caroline, did you all eat all the biscuits or have you left any for me?"

Everyone sat back down around the wooden table.

"Well the boys were quite hungry but we've left some biscuits for you. C'mon, boys, Lucien don't get intimidated by Mike, go on with the biscuits, he's never gonna eat all that!"

"Well that's cause you stop me! Micky, tell your mum that I'm a grown up and I can have biscuits, please."

"Mum...!"

"Sweetie, your father needs to be careful with sweet things, that's what the doctor said!"

Lucien looked at Mundy and he could see it. He could see the happy young boy who was sharing some tea and biscuits with his loving parents. It warmed his heart.

"Micky, remember..."

Mike put his hand on his son's shoulder.

"When you find a lady, ask her how many biscuits you can eat and marry her only if she says 'all of them'...!"

"Oi! Mike!"

Mundy blushed so intensely Lucien thought he was going to burst. He lowered his head and started fiddling with his fingers.

_Mon Dieu, ce séjour va être long et difficile..._

_[My God, this stay is going to be long and hard...]_

**_\-- Author's notes --_ **

Thanks for reading Chapter 33! :D

Special thanks to _Deathtothecrows_ , _Gret, Christine_ and all the discord crew, you give me _da force!_

See y'all around for Chapter 34!


	34. Chapter 34

"So, son, tell us about all those countries you saw!"

"Oh, well I flew first for Moscow and that was horribly cold, I mean, it was in their winter and continental weather is unforgiving."

"Oh, how cold was it?"

"Easily below the -15 degrees!"

"Bugger!"

"Yeah, that was dreadful but I found Mikhail easily. It was nice to see him again, he showed me around his village, I met his mum and sisters."

"Ah, he has sisters?"

Mike's tone of voice was suggesting something that Mundy perfectly understood. He went red as a brick.

"Uhm... Well, yes, but uhm... Anyway..."

"He trains children with boxing lessons right?"

Lucien said to come to his lover's rescue.

"Yeah, yeah, he teaches kids how to play boxing. And I must say he does an awfully good job with them. I was surprised, I didn't expect him to be that good with kids... Anyway, I spent a month and a bit there and then I flew to Germany."

"You had a colleague there?"

"Yeah, mum, the Medic. He now works in a clinic and he hasn't changed much, still the same crazy scientist I must say... He showed me around Stuttgart."

"Where's that sweetie?"

"That's the South of Germany. It has its own architecture style, very different from what I then saw in Berlin and on my way there."

"Ooh, such a shame you never think of taking pictures!"

"You know me mum, my souvenirs and here..."

He pointed at his temple.

"... and here."

He pointed at his heart.

"Yeah, yeah I know, Micky... But go on with your trip."

"Where was I again...? Ah, yeah, Berlin. I stayed there a couple weeks but didn't really like it."

"Oh, what was wrong with it?"

"I wouldn't know exactly but I didn't feel like I could stay there... The people are nice and helpful even though the language barrier is definitely an obstacle..."

"And then France! Oh I dream of going there once in my life, Micky! See Paris, oh, it must be so lovely!"

"It really is mum, I really love Paris. At first I felt overwhelmed by the number of people there, it felt a lot like a very busy anthill. But then I met Lu' and he really helped me settle in."

"How did you guys manage to meet each other?"

Mike asked and Mundy blushed again. Lucien jumped in to help him.

"Well, quite simply, I used to work as a Spy as Mundy must have told you already. I have eyes and ears everywhere, especially in my own country. So as soon as I knew that Mundy was around town, I found him."

"Oh, Lucien, you seem to have your ways! How exciting!"

Mundy's mother was overly enthusiastic about Lucien's life which flaterred him.

"Well, I have retired and resigned my position as a special intelligence agent from the Ministry of Defense, but I still have eyes and ears a bit everywhere!"

"Roight, so you used to be a spy! Is it really as dangerous as they say?"

"Oui, Monsieur. I mean it depends on what kind of work you specialise into."

"And what was it for you, Lucien?"

Caroline asked, adjusting her glasses on her nose and opening wide eyes.

"Ah, I can't really give details but let's say, the _delicate cases._ "

"Mum, dad, Lu' is too modest, what he means is that he was one of the top French spies of his time."

"Oooh..."

Both Mundy's parents were impressed.

"It must be so dangerous! Are you never scared?"

"Oui, Caroline, it was dangerous. But it is precisely your job not to be scared! They sent me because... well..."

Mundy ended the sentence for him.

"... because no one but _he_ could do it!"

"Sounds very delicate, son..."

"It was, oui, Monsieur."

Mike raised his eyes to Lucien.

"Told you, you can call me Mike, son!"

"Ah, oui, pardon, Mike."

Smiles were exchanges around the table.

"And so you helped Micky find a job?"

"At the restaurant yes."

"He also taught me French, I'm quite good now."

"Oh, come on Mundy, you're fluent!"

Mike and Caroline looked at their son very proudly.

"Really? Show us Micky! Say something in French!"

Mundy blushed slightly.

"May I help?"

"Please do, Lucien, our Micky is a bit shy."

Mike answered.

" _Je suis extrêmement heureux de rencontrer tes parents, tu penses que je fais bonne impression pour l'instant?"_

[I am delighted to make your parents' acquaintances. Do you think that I'm making a good impression?]

Mundy cleared his throat, feeling the pressure of his parents staring at him eagerly.

" _Oui, pour l'instant je crois qu'ils t'apprécient bien."_

[Yeah, I think that so far, they like you.]

"Oooh look at you son! Bein' clever in French!"

Mike put his hand on his son's shoulder and patted it.

"I'm proud of you."

Mundy opened wide eyes.

"Yes, Micky, we really are. Also, Lucien you did a wonderful job with the French lessons !"

"Yeah, that's true, I remember when Micky used to learn it at school, he was doing terribly bad at French! The teachers would always complain that he never cared about foreign languages!"

"Well, he is only as good as his efforts! He learnt it really quickly I must say."

"That's a surprise given how little he cared about the language!"

_Well, I started caring because I couldn't get my eyes off of the teacher_. _But of course I can't tell you that, not now._

"He is very fluent, and his accent is very good, we can understand him very clearly."

"To go from nothing to be fluent, I bet you paid Lucien here a fortune!"

"Non."

Lucien raised his hand.

"I did this voluntarily. My reward was to see him progress and to have free tickets to the zoo!"

"Ah, speaking of, I said to Lu' I'd teach him a bit of hunting. So I think we'll take the van out tomorrow and go look for some beasts."

"Ah, son, that won't be possible!"

Mundy looked sad.

"Tomorrow, we leave the farm to your mum and we go fishing!"

Mundy's face brightened again.

"I bought an extra fishing rod for Lucien. Do you know how to fish, son?"

"Much better than I know how to hunt, oui!"

"Then that is settled! You can take him to hunt the next day."

"Or if you're not too tired, we could try this afternoon and spend the night under the stars?"

Caroline cut Mundy.

"Sweetie, your friend is used to live in Paris, not under the stars like you, maybe he prefers a nice and comfy bed?"

"Merci Caroline but if I travelled here, it is to discover the typical life of an... uhm... How do you say again...?"

"What word are you looking for?"

"Pardon me Caroline and Mike, but I must ask in French. _Tu sais, l'expression pour dire Australien mais en plus court...?"_

[You know the expression to say 'Australian' but shorter?]

"Ah, that's ' _Aussie'_!"

"Ah oui, voilà! I wanted to see how Mundy lived, having heard him talk about it with such passion and nostalgia, I want to try it myself."

"You sure, Lucien?"

" _Absolument."_

[Absolutely.]

"Ah, that sounds like an excellent idea, oui!"

_\-- That afternoon --_

Lunch had been eaten with the family and Lucien and Mundy went out to hunt. They had travelled a bit further with the van. When Mundy braked and stopped the van, there was only desert for as far as the eye could see. But it was not a flat one. Rocks and boulders were scatterred across the desert and provided some much needed shade.

"Roight, here we go."

They both came out of the van and Mundy opened its backdoor. He jumped in while Lucien put on his hat and sunglasses.

"Here we go, you can have my rifle and I'll use the Sydney Sleeper..."

Mundy handed the rifle to Lucien who made a face on hearing the "Sydney Sleeper".

"Don't worry, I'll be usin' proper sleeping darts, I'm not crazy! I have some respects for animals!"

Lucien raised an eyebrow.

"Even more than for humans it seems."

"Lu', you know very well I was paid to kill the BLUs, not to put them to sleep... Anway, come with me, I'll show you how to handle the rifle."

They went under a boulder's shade.

"Roight, so, first, look at this."

Mundy put his hand in his vest pocket and took a bullet out.

"See how big it is? Not only can it kill, it can hurt atrociously. But we don't want to harm animals. We want to kill what we need to eat, nothing more."

Lucien paid very close attention to the lesson.

"Now, you take this bullet and I'll show you how to load your rifle. Give it here. Right, so you pull on this handle and see how it opens a hole in the barrel? That's where you put it in. Go on, put it in. Good job! You put it the right way around, careful to never put it backwards!"

"I know the basics about guns mon amour..."

"Yeah, yeah, I tend to forget, sorry luv'."

"It's fine, please go on."

"Then, look at how I hold the rifle. You put its butt on your shoulder and your eye should then be aligned with the scope... Here, try it yourself."

Mundy handed the rifle to Lucien who tried to hold it as he had shown him.

"Yeah, you're doing it alroight, don't pull your shoulder up..."

Mundy put his hand on Lucien's shoulder to maje it go down a bit.

"...And down bend forward that much, pull the riffle closer to your eye, not the other way around..."

"What?"

Mundy moved right behind Lucien and putting his hand on the Frenchman's , he adjusted the position of his arms and hands.

"Like that, that's better."

Lucien felt Mundy breath on the back of his neck and at this point, Mundy was whispering in his ear.

"Now, before you shoot, you must know that because the bullet is that big, it is quite heavy and as it will be shot forward, you will experience some recoil, much more than what you are used to with your small pistols..."

Lucien smiled, his eye still in the scope.

" _You of all people should know my 'pistol' is not small..."_

"Uh?"

Mundy did not catch the drift at first...

"What do you m- Oh! I see, Lu', c'mon!"

"Sorry mon amour, it was an easy joke to make. Please continue and don't let me interrupt."

_Well the only effective way to shut your mouth is to-_ _oh I bet you're listening to my thoughts again, aren't you?_

"Oui."

Mundy sighed.

"I can't have any privacy! Even in my own head!"

"Sorry mon amour, I will stop."

Mundy, still behind Lucien, bent slightly and kissed the back of his neck, sending shivers through Lucien.

"It's fine, luv'. Now, let's come back to it."

"Oui."

"So, where was I..?"

"The recoil."

"Yes! The recoil! You gotta be careful cause it will surprise you."

" _D'accord."_

[Alright.]

"Now we have to be quiet and wait."

Mundy whispered.

"When you see something, don't shoot straight away. Use your eyes and your brain, look where they're going while you adjust the crosshair to their head. When you're confident that you're gonna get them, shoot."

"Hm."

"You ready?"

"Oui."

"Look there, on your left."

Lucien moved the rifle slowly.

"Ooh."

Mundy had spotted a deer.

"Now, remember, you don't to shoot too soon. We don't want to hurt it. Also, we know she's here but she doesn't know we're there, so take your time."

"She?"

"It's a lady, she's quite young as well, she's quite small... Straighten your back..."

Mundy put his fingers on Lucien's ribs, on his sides and slid down. On top of that, Mundy was still whispering in Lucien's ear directly. The Frenchman found it hard to focus...

"Now, do you have the crosshair on his head?"

"Almost... I'm shaking too much... This rifle weighs a ton..."

Mundy put his hands on Lucien's to help him hold the rifle.

"There you go..."

"I have his head on the crosshair."

"Hold your breath, it will help steady your aim."

Lucien inhaled and held his breath.

"Shoot now."

_Boom!_

The deer fell down and the couple ones around him ran away.

"You've got it! On your first try!"

Lucien put the rifle aside and looked at the deer. Without the scope, he could only see a black blob on the ground.

"So, what do you feel?"

"It's... breath-taking! Quite litterally!"

"Do you like it?"

"I did, yes."

"Come, let's get your game, you can tell me what you thought on the way there."

They went back to the van and Mubdy started the engine.

"So, tell me."

"I think you have to be very focused on your target, which puts quite some strain on your brain."

"Yeah, that's true..."

"Also, I didn't know you had to hold your breath before taking a shot."

"You do when you're a beginner. I don't do it anymore, or rather I do it but for an instant."

"Ah..."

"Also, I have the bad habit of reloading too quickly, my thumb gets pinched in the handle to reload and I end up having a black mark on my nail there."

"Oh..."

"That happened a lot during the Mann Co. days, when I had to shoot people, reload quickly and shoot again. It rarely happened before... Right, there it is."

The van stopped.

"Let me just grab a knife from the back of the van..."

Lucien went to the young dead deer and crouched down. He looked around him. Mundy was still busy in the van.

_Bien, à moi de lui apprendre quelque chose._

[My turn to teach him something.]

He put a hand in his pocket, and lit a cigarette. He put his cigarette case away and got his butterfly knife out. Meanwhile, Mundy was looking for a suitable knife.

_That's my kukhri... That's a kitchen knife, but it's too small... I swear I had a good knife for hunting! Bah, I guess it will have to be the kukhri then.._. _Where's the plastic tarpaulin...? Ah there... And I used to have a dirty apron somewhere... There it is. Roight I think I have everything. Back to Lu'..._

He jumped off the van and turned his head to Lucien.

"What the-?!"

Lucien turned his head to Mundy.

"What?"

"How did you-?!"

The dead deer's head was cleanly cut off and Lucien had got rid of its skin. He had put the organs on the side and had started to cut the different parts.

"Well, I was a paid assassin as much as you were. I might not know how to shoot people from far away but I know basics in anatomy."

Mundy got close and crouched next to Lucien.

"Wow, you didn't even get a drop of blood on you!"

Lucien raised an eyebrow with a smirk.

"And stain my white shirt or my beige linen trousers? _Non merci!"_

[No thanks!]

"I'm... I..."

"Here, you can take the shoulders. It will be a second before I get the legs..."

Mundy put the shoulders away and came back with his kukhri.

"How could you even cut through so neatly which such a tiny knife?"

Lucien smiled cheekily.

"Well, as you say in English, _size does not matter..."_

"Good Lord, Lu'..."

They both finished cutting the different parts of the animal and came back to the van. The sun had started setting.

"Let me take you elsewhere and we can have dinner around a fire."

" _Très bien."_

Mundy drove for a good 20 minutes and then stopped. Both men exited the van.

"D'you know how to light a fire?"

Lucien elegantly took his lighter out of his pocket and showed it to Mundy.

"Well, with an object such as this, it is very easy, mon amour."

Lucien was exaggerating his movement and speaking comically slowly.

"See this? That's the cap. You press delicately here and it opens."

Lucien was clearly pulling Mundy's leg.

"Lu'..."

"And then, see that small wheel? If you make it roll quickly with your thumb, poof! _A flame!"_

"Lu'..."

"And that, mon amour, is called a _lighter._ And before you ask, non, it is not a magic trick, it simply-hm!"

Mundy quickly grabbed Lucien by his waist and pulling him hard against himself, went directly for his lips. Lucien melted but Mundy broke the kiss.

"I've been wanting to do that for a long time."

"What? Receive an explanation about how a lighter works?"

Lucien was still doing his best to tease his lover.

"No, you idiot! I-..."

Mundy calmed down.

"I've been wanting to... I mean I missed... Oh and to hell with you! You know what I mean!"

Lucien raised an eyebrow again, looking devilishly smug.

"Oh, _do I?"_

Mundy could not resist anymore. He pushed Lucien on the van's side quickly. The van shook. He put his hands on Lucien's cheeks while kissing him. That kiss was something else. Lucien could read how much Mundy had missed his lips, how much he had missed being able to show that he loved him. He breathed heavily and was pulling on Lucien's lips strongly. At some point, he stopped, out of breath.

"I..."

The sun was setting and made the sky shine in orange and pink. Both colours reflected beautifully on Lucien's skin, especially his eyes. They still looked very light blue but now with a pink shine to them. Mundy's pupils dilated as he put his forehead on Lucien's, bending down slightly, his body almost crushing Lucien's against the van. He closed his eyes.

"I love you so much..."

Lucien smiled.

"So do I, mon amour, so do I."

"It's like I've missed you, even if I spent my day with you. It's ridiculous."

Lucien shook his head.

"Non, it's not. I've been... well... _craving you too."_

He pushed himself slightly upwards on his toes and brushed his lips against Mundy's, very delicately.

" _Je t'aime, mon coeur."_

[I love you, sweetheart.]

Mundy smiled.

"Let's prepare dinner."

Mundy let go of Lucien.

"I can take care of the fire if you want."

"Alroight, I'm gonna cut some ribs then and prepare the van."

Both men got busy but soon they were around a fire and enjoying some grilled ribs.

"They're delicious!"

"Cheers, luv'. Good job to you, you're a hunter now!"

"Am I? I mean I used to hunt in my younger days, but the game was very different."

"Oh?"

"I meant ladies, Mundy."

"Ah, roight, sorry I didn't get it."

Lucien smiled.

"No problem."

Then finished their dinner and the sky was now as dark as blue can get. The fire was still burning, and it's glow allowed the both of them to see each other.

"Let's put down the fire and I can show you something."

They extinguished the fire and Lucien entered the van through the backdoor.

"Oi, where d'you think you're going?"

"Are we not spending the night in the van?"

"No, not _in_ the van, _on_ the van."

Mundy used the ladder on the side of the van and climbed up. Lucien followed him and saw that Mundy had prepared some rugs and sheets there, as well as a couple pillows.

"Now, make yourself comfy."

Both men removed their shoes and Mundy laid down. Lucien opened the first few buttons of his shirt and joined him, using Mundy's arm as his pillow.

"Look at this, isn't it beautiful?"

Mundy pointed at the sky above their heads.

"You can see so many more stars here than in Paris...!"

"Yeah, that's how the sky really looks like at night. Not greyish. And we're lucky to have a big full moon..."

"Why?"

"So that I can still see you and your irresistible eyes in the dark."

Lucien opened wide eyes. It was very rare for Mundy to make such beautiful compliments so he appreciated those few occasions very dearly.

"Y'know, I've always dreamt of having someone to sleep with, under the stars. Someone that would like hunting and animals and... And all the things I like... And now that's it! I've got you!"

Lucien smiled and put his hand on Mundy's chest.

"It's so strange... I am... I am litterally fulfilling a dream. I..."

Lucien turned on his side and took Mundy's head in his arms, hugging it. He knew what was coming...

"At some point I stopped believing that I could find you. I just assumed that it was a distant dream, that I would never live this."

Lucien kissed Mundy's head.

"But mon amour, here we are. You and me, under the starry sky of Australia."

Mundy wrapped his arms around Lucien's waist. And then the Frenchman heard it.

_Sorry, you must think I'm a sissy... I just... I just find it perfect... Having you, with me, here, on top of my van and under the stars, in Australia..._

"It's alright, mon amour. I know those are happy tears."

Mundy's tears were flowing without him being able to stop them or feel them really. He buried his head on Lucien's chest and could smell his expensive cologne. He was directly hearing his heart beat.

_Never leave me, please. Please never vanish or go away._

"Don't worry, _tu seras toujours dans mon coeur, mon amour."_

[You will always be in my heart, my love.]

They cuddled up under the dark mighty sky's spotlights and slept peacefully in each other's arms, forgetting that the next day, they would have to spend their morning with Mundy's father.

_**\-- Author's notes --** _

Thanks for reading!

Also a massive thanks to the discord crew, y'all boost me up soooo much! Merci beaucoup!

See y'all around for chapter 35!


	35. Chapter 35

"Roight, so, Micky, you remember how to fish?"

"Of course I do!"

Mike had driven Mundy and Lucien to a nearby stream of water. It was much greener there than what Lucien had seen so far in Australia. The surface of the water was calm although, through it, one could see the algae and aquatic flora bend under the current.

"And you Lucien?"

"I used to go fishing when I was younger, with one of my mother's friends. I think you might have met him, Mundy. Do you remember René?"

Mundy's eyes opened wide in surprised.

_That old bloke I talked to who was fishing that day when I...?!_

"Yeah, I do remember. Did you go often?"

Lucien helped Mike and Mundy settle. They unfolded the chairs while Mike put the cool box next to the middle chair.

"From time to time, oui. I used to like it a lot. Oh, let me help you with those..."

"Cheers, son."

Lucien took a bag and a fishing rod from Mike's hands.

"So, Micky, do you wanna show your friend how to prepare the rod or should I do it?"

"Uhm... You can do it, Dad. It's been a long time since we've last fished together and I like hearing your explainations."

"Alroight, boys, each of you hold your rod like this. Now...!"

And Mike went on explaining how to put set the rod correctly. After a couple minutes, the three men were sat on their chairs, Mike in the middle, Mundy to his right and Lucien to his left. The sun was shining and all that they could hear was the chirping of the birds and the occasional lapping of the water.

"So, Caroline told me about you, Lucien., how you used to be a spy."

"Oui, I used to."

"Must be pretty tough then.

"The job is hard, yes."

"Even outside of work. Must be pretty hard to hide the fact you're a spy."

Lucien stayed impassive.

"Oui, it cost me countless friendships and a lady whom I thought would be my wife."

Mundy opened wide eyes behind his aviator glasses but didn't move on his chair and as the three of them were facing the water, he had hoped nobody had noticed.

"Oh, I'm sorry to hear that, son."

"Bah, it is behind me now and I hear that she is doing well."

"You kept in touch with her?"

"Well, we stayed long enough together that it actually led to us having a son."

"Oh... wow..."

Mundy was petrified on his seat, even his breath stopped.

_He is really gonna tell him..._

"A bit of a sad story but in the end, my son agreed to meet me and give me a chance about a month ago. He's been living with me. Actually, Mundy has met him."

"Oh, did you, son?"

Mundy was red as a brick.

"Y-yeah I did. He's a nice bloke."

"That must have been intense... How old is he now your son?"

"About to turn 29."

"Oh, he's a grown up alright."

"Yes."

Silence fell. Lucien looked at his right and could see Mike was fiddling with his fingers. It made him smile.

_Like father, like son. He is nervous for some reason._

"Can I ask you something?"

"Of course."

"Don't you regret it?"

"What?"

"Not getting married and not having raised your child?"

Lucien took a deep breath.

"When it comes to my son, yes, I have never stopped wishing I could be there for him. But his mother was strongly against it."

"And the marriage?"

"I have someone else in my heart now, so not at all."

"Oh, yes, true, Caroline told me. Do you have any plans to marry her?"

Lucien smiled and looked at Mike in the eye.

"Mike, at the risk of sounding ridiculous, I love that person too much to just marry _her._ _She_ is my reason to live, the reason why, when I wake up in the morning, I want to get out of bed."

Mundy buried himself deep in his chair and bent his hat on his face, pretending he was half asleep in an attempt to hide his tomato red face but of course he was hearing everything and Lucien words pierced powerfully through his heart like a million sharp arrows.

" _She_ is why I continue to breath, not for my personal satisfaction, but because _she_ deserves to have someone to be at her side, spoiling her, making her happy, comforting her when she needs a shoulder to cry on. And I, well, I'm her humble servant. I can't imagine my life without her. If it ever boils down to that, yes, I would trade my life for hers. Oh, by the way, look at this."

Lucien showed Mike the back of his right hand.

"What's that?"

"That is one of my debts to her. When my previous lady left me, I got so angry I hurt myself... To be more precise, I punched my wooden desk and broke it in halves out of rage. I knew she had been with someone else and so that day, I was decided to go and make that new man pay. As you know, I was trained and paid as an assassin so it was usual work for me. I grabbed my knife and went in the street. But I was losing an atrocious amount of blood and that's when I litterally bumped onto her in the street, randomly."

Mike's eyes were wide open.

"She nursed me back to life. She healed this and also this."

He showed his hand and his chest, where his heart is.

"Mike, I don't know how to explain this. Every second that I have spent ever since, I think about her and want to make her as happy as possible."

Mike smiled.

"Son, let me tell you what it is."

Lucien looked at him, with question marks in his eyes.

"You're in love, son."

Lucien smiled.

"More than that. I presented her to my own mother and she approved of us. She thinks we're made for each other and there is no greater satisfaction than that, _having your parents' approval._ "

Mundy couldn't take it anymore. He got off his chair.

"Where are you going Micky?"

"Just need to walk a bit."

"Alroight."

Mike waited for Mundy to be out of earshot.

"Son, I'm not gonna lie and go around the subject."

Lucien removed his sunglasses. Mike looked at him in the eye.

"First, let me tell you you're the only friend Micky has brought us home for the last... Uhm... I can't even recall the last time he brought a friend home!"

He coughed.

"I assumed you know each other quite well now and above all, he must trust you."

_Oh you have no idea, Mister Michael._ Lucien thought.

"Let me tell you something about him. With Caroline, we've been quite worried about Micky. After his Mann Co. contract, he was feeling low all the time. He'd take his van and go God knows where and spend days out there alone. I mean, he already was used to doing that before the Mann Co. days but at least when he came back, he'd have a happy face. But lately, he's been very sad."

Lucien was listening carefully.

"That's why we had originally pushed him to go travel the world, see something else, breath another air, talk to people!"

Mike paused for a second. He looked at the stream of water.

"He was so sad... He used to call us every day from Russia and we'd spend ages with him on the phone to try and push him to explore more, take the opportunity to see other faces... Lucien, I'm not gonna lie, with Caroline, we wished he'd find himself a girl. Y'know, someone who could give him his smile back. Then he went to Germany. And it was still the same. Endless phonecalls, endless sadness. Caroline would sometimes cry after we hang up the phone."

Mike sighed.

"It was tough for us. Our Micky had always been alone, maybe lonely, but he had never been like that, mournful, sorrowful. I remember when he was working for Mann Co., he was overjoyed. Now, don't get me wrong, with Caroline, we weren't exactly happy with him being paid as an assassin. But at least he was happy, really happy."

He opened the cool box and took a beer out.

"Want one?"

Lucien was not a big fan a beer but he did not want to upset Mike so he accepted. They both opened their bottles and started drinking. Mike took a sip and resumed his speech.

"But look at him now! He is back! Our smiling Mundy, our good old Micky is back! So that must mean only one thing..."

Lucien guessed where that was going...

"He's found himself a lady and doesn't want to tell us."

_Oh mon Dieu, here we go..._

"So I have to ask you 2 things. One, is he truly happy in Paris? And two, am I right in thinking that he found someone?"

Lucien drank a bit of beer.

"As far as I can tell, he has been incredibly happy with his life in Paris, surprisingly so, for someone used to live here, only surrounded by wild animals and wildlife in general. I guess that means that somehow, Parisians are wild, which is not not completely wrong maybe..."

"And about my other question?"

"I'm afraid you will have to ask him directly."

"Lucien, please, after what you told me, you know what it is to be worried about your son."

Lucien was about to take a sip from his bottle but froze.

"Imagine if your son was feeling so depressed that you actually had to push him out the house and then he comes back months and months later wearing a happy face! Wouldn't you want to know what happened?"

Lucien put the beer down.

"Of course I would."

"Ah, so please tell me."

"I'm afraid I value my _friendship_ with Mundy too much."

"I have my answer then, thanks."

Lucien looked at Mike. His dark blue eyes were shining fiercely and he was smiling.

_Merde. I underestimated him. He now knows that Mundy has someone in his life... Merde, merde, merde..._

Mundy reappeared and resumed his seat.

"I see you've started drinking without me!"

Mundy looked and saw Lucien's pale face. It confused him.

_What the..._

Lucien couldn't have a moment with Mundy alone. He couldn't just excuse himself and run away. And seeing how hinest and direct Mike was with him, he knew that a storm was going take place _very_ soon. He could see a wave growing bigger...

"Want a beer, Micky?"

...bigger ...

"Yeah sure!"

... and bigger...

Mike opened the bottle for his son and handed it to him. Mundy took the bottle and raised it to his lips.

"So, son..."

_Merde, non, s'il te plaît, non, Mike!_

_[Shit, no, please, no, Mike!]_

"... what's your girlfriend's name?"

Mundy spat his beer out and his beer slipped out of his hand. It landed o the grass with a thud and spilled all around his chair. Mu dy looked with wide opened eyes at both Lucien and his father.

_You knew he was gonna say that?! That's why you went pale?!_

_Je suis désolé mon amour, je te demande pardon!!_

_[I'm sorry my love, I'm begging for you to forgive me!!]_

"So there is a girlfriend! Ha! Congrats, Micky!"

Mundy was still speechless. He had turned red.

"Son, I'm proud of you! Look, I know we're not really used to talking about girls you and I but please do tell me. What's her name, where's she from? Is she French?"

"Ah-uh... I-... Ah..."

Mike laughed, completely oblivious to Mundy and Lucien's state of shock and fear.

"Oh, look at you going all red when we talk about her! That's very cute of you, Micky, it means you like her an awful lot!"

Lucien cleared his throat and resumed his impassive behaviour.

"Shall I leave you alone to discuss this?"

Mike turned to him and was about to speak when Mundy's voice cut him sharp.

"No. You're staying here."

Mike looked at Mundy.

"Wow, calm down son, no need to be angry at your friend, he's just being polite."

"Dad..."

"You can stay Lucien."

"I will."

"DAD!"

Mike turned to Mundy. His roar resonated in the valley and the symphony of birds shut up. Mundy was shakingand sweating heavily, his fingers were trembling, his eyes were full of tears and his teeth were almost shattering with emotions.

"What... What is it, Micky?"

Mundy's eyes were locked on to Lucien's eyes.

_Lucien,_ _I'm sorry, luv', I'm so, so sorry._ Lucienunderstood what was coming. He frowned. He felt like he was walking in a desert towards a tornado. His jacket's sides were flying behind him as he got closer and closer to it. He nodded lightly to Mundy as if to say: _"I'm right behind you, supporting you. I'll take the blow with you, don't be afraid, you're not alone."_

Mundy saw the nod. Lucien lowered his head. He was getting closer to the tornado and opened his arms to let its breathy fangs and claws devour him. He knew the gusts of wind would be so powerful that they would remove the skin off his very face and body.

But he would do that and much more, for Mundy.


	36. Chapter 36

 

Mundy's eyes shot to his father's.

"I.. I have found someone."

"Well that's good news, son. Why are you so nervous th-"

"It's not a girl."

Mike's eyes opened very wide and his jaw dropped.

"Whot...?"

Mundy's heart was beating so fast and strong that he thought his chest would burst out.

"What so you mean... ' _it's not a girl?'_ ?"

Mundy was now at a loss for words he wanted to explain himself, apologise, convince his father, persuade him, go back in time, return to Paris, don't take Jay to the wall, not meet with Marie-France, not play in Lucien's band, not go to the restaurant with Lucien, not work in the zoo, not walk to the zoo, not bump onto Lucien...

The tears had grown so big in his eyes they were not flowing down his cheeks.

"You mean... Oh God... It's a... _man_?"

Mundy's eyes shot back to Lucien.

_Sorry, love. I will never forget you._

Mike seeing Mundy's eyes divert to Lucien, turned to look at Lucien who was pale.

"Oh don't tell me that...!"

Mike jumped out of his chair and walked backwards slowly, looking at Mundy and Lucien as if they were ghosts.

"Oh, no, no, Mundy... Mundy don't tell me that... Nah, c'mon..."

Mundy's tears continued to stream on his face. Mike's back bumped on his car.

"Mundy tell me it's not true."

Mundy was uncapable of speaking.

"Mundy?"

He sniffed.

"MUNDY?!"

Mike's roar echoed in the valley and resonated in both Lucien and Mundy's heads. Silence fell. Mike turned and put his hands flat on the car, his arms stetched in front of him and bending his head down, his eyes locked on the ground.

"Roight, I'm taking y'all back home. This afternoon, you fly back to Paris."

"Dad..."

Mundy stood up but his legs gave up and he collapsed to the ground. Lucien jumped to help him up.

" _DON'T YOU DARE TOUCH MY SON_!"

Lucien took a step back.

\-- Lunch time --

"Why is no one eating food this lunch? And why is there no fish? Have you caught nothing?!"

Lucien and Mundy were mute for the whole lunch and of course none of the men could eat anything. Lucien and Mundy, because they were living their last moments together, Mike, because he was disgusted.

"Mike, what's the problem?"

Caroline had put her fork down and was determined to know what was going on. Mike sighed.

"Caroline, your son has found someone."

"That's great news, but why are you all so sad?"

"That's the someone."

Mike pointed at Lucien. She opened eyes the size of a planet.

"Whot?"

"Yup, look at us now. Look what we've raised, look what our only child has become..."

She put a hand in front of her open mouth.

"Micky, is what your father's saying true?"

With his head still down, Mundy nodded.

"And to think I trusted you and told you about- Argh! God damn you Lucien!"

Mike was furious.

"Oh but wait, when you were describing that lady, the love of your loife, that what _HIM_? That was _MY MICKY_? "

Lucien raised his head. He was not afraid of Mike, he had nothing left to lose.

"Oui, I was talking about him."

"And you called him a 'she' ?"

"And apparently, rightly so."

" _WATCH THE WAY YOU TALK ABOUT MY SON, YOU FILTHY WANKER!"_

Mike stood up, to tower Lucien, and hit his clenched fist on the table. The cutlery jumped in the plate and the metallic noise resonated in everyone's head as much as Mike's burst of anger. Lucien was dangerously calm. He was not looking at Mike in the eye, he was focused on Mundy.

"I mean that if I had said 'him', you would have reacted like that even before Mundy could tell you about us."

"So it was Mundy who healed your hand?"

"Oui. He came everyday to my flat to take care of the wound, in exchange for which, I taught him French."

"All that you said to me was true?"

"Absolutely true, Monsieur."

Caroline watched the conversation develop as a tennis match, looking at Mike on her right and Lucien on her left, back and forth. She finally decided to get into the conversation.

"So that's how you learnt French, Micky... It's because you l-... _liked_ Lucien, so you paid attention...?"

Mundy, head still low, nodded. Lucien took a cigarette out and lit it.

"And here you are lighting a cigarette and relaxing?!"

Mike was talking to Lucien.

"You clearly are misunderstanding the situation."

He puffed on the cigarette and elegantly blew a ring of smoke of his mouth.

"Your anger is completely taking over you and not once have you commented the obvious."

"Whot?! Are you calling me stupid?"

"Again, you are missing the most important part of this."

Lucien was trying to contain his wrath.

"Which is...?"

He paused to put his cigarette elegantly on the edge of his plate. He raised his eyes to Mike, they were shining fiercely.

"First, have you thought for half a second about Mundy? What courage it actually took him to tell you the truth, mh?"

_Tick_.

"Of course not. Second, have you got any idea what it feels like to be so scared of you that he actually would rather fall into a nervous breakdown rather than talk to you about his preference for men, hm?"

_Tock_.

"Again, no. Your son, because he loves you more than anything, preferred to make himself sad and sick rather than hurt you. He preferred to _BE. DEPRESSED. FOR. YOU_."

Lucien couldn't contain his anger anymore. He punched the table with his right hand so powerfully the bang deafened everyone, the plates jumped up and fell to the ground, tumbling and shattering on the wooden floor. Caroline and Mike got startled and jumped back from the table slightly.

"Of course you didn't think of that. Do you have any idea how it feels to live all your life with your parents, _HIDING IN PLAIN SIGHT?"_

_Tock_.

"Let me know remind you what I said earlier about Mundy, just so you understand and so that Caroline also knows."

He took a deep breath and looked at Mundy.

_Tick_.

"Mundy..."

_Tock_.

Mundy raised his eyes to meet his lover's. Lucien straightened his back and his shirt.

"At the risk of sounding ridiculous, I love you too much to just marry you. You are my reason to live, the reason why, when I wake up in the morning, I want to get out of bed."

Mundy burst out sobbing heavily but didn't want to stop looking at Lucien, it was the last moments where he could see him. Caroline went to comfort him.

"You are why I continue to breath, not for my personal satisfaction, but because you deserve to have someone to be at your side, spoiling you, making you happy, comforting you when you need a shoulder to cry on. And I, well, I'm your humble servant. I can't imagine my life without you. If it ever boils down to that, yes, I would trade my life for yours."

_Tick_.

Lucien went to Mundy and put his hand in his pocket. He took his knife out of his pocket. It was his Black Rose. He put in on the table in front of Mundy. The Australian put his hand on top of Lucien and tightened his grip as hard as he could. Lucien stayed there for a second, enjoying the last contact he would have with his lover, and then withdrew. Mundy's sobs grew louder.

"Lu'! Please!"

Lucien headed to the front door. He stopped and turned.

"Mike?"

Mike looked at Lucien.

"You have crossed the best Spy in France, some would say even the best in the whole of Europe. Be grateful you're the love of my life's father, _or you would have been dead after you shouted at me for the first time, for now, I have nothing left to lose_."

Mike gasped.

Lucien opened the door and left. He walked out the small wooden gate and walked in direction of the nearest city, his hands in his pockets, his mind blank, his heart, shatterred.

\-- Mike and Caroline's house --

As soon as Lucien shut the door, Mundy sprang out of his chair in an attempt to run after Lucien but his legs couldn't carry him and he fell, his face first, the Black rose in his hand. He crawled on the floor to the door and shouted.

" _LUCIEN, NOOO! LUCIEN... COME BACK! PLEASE, PLEASE, PLEAA-EAAA-EAAASE_!"

He could stopped tryin and laid flat on the gound, between the dining room and the front door, on his stomach, his face on the ground. He continued sobbing, his tears flowing on the wooden floor. Caroline looked at Mike with tearful eyes. She went and crouched down next to her son. She patted his back.

"C'mon sweetie. It's over."

She was on his right and looking down she saw some blood.

"Crickey! Where's that blood from?! Micky?!"

He was holding the Black Rose from the blade and was clenching his right fist so much that he actually was cutting his hand. And the pool of blood was growing wider, mixing with the tears.

"Mike, quick, the first aid kit!"

Mike was astounded.

" _MIKE! HE'S LOSING BLOOD, QUICK_!"

"Uh? Yeah, yeah."

He ran to the bathroom and back.

"Micky? Micky, do you hear me?!"

He could only cry. Caroline opened the first aid box and opened some compress. Mundy raised his head off the ground, as if he was possessed. The sound of tearing open the compress platic package reminded him of the first time he met Lucien, the wound on his right hand.

_Krrrrrr..._

_What am I doing?_

He jumped to his feet, slammed the front door wide open and ran.

"MUNDY, YOUR HAND!"

He jumped over the fence and ran as fast as he could. Caroline looked at Mike.

"Whot?"

"Mike, you went too far."

"Oh now it's me?! I'm the problem?!"

"Lucien was right about everything."

"Oh don't take that wanker's side!"

"Shut up and listen!"

Mike opened wide eyes.

"Have you ever seen Micky that upset? Bloody hell, he's running in the desert, in the middle of the day, under the bloody scorching sun, barefoot, losing his blood, trying to catch up with that man! Don't you understand?!"

"WHAT IS THERE TO UNDERSTAND?!"

"WHO WOULD YOU DO THAT FOR, YOU BLOODY IDIOT?!"

The answer hit Mike like a train.

" _You_."

Caroline took the first aid box, a bottle of water and the car keys.

"What an idiot you are, Mike, sometimes you behave like such a cretin!"

A moment later, Mike heard the roar of the car engine starting. He came to the front door and saw the car pass fast in front of the house and heard the engine dying in the distance.

Mundy could only hear his heavy breath and his heart beat, he felt the blood pump fast and strongly in his temples.

_Lucien, Lucien, Lucien..._

He was not feeling the heat of the sun. He was not feeling the dry, black and sizzling asphalt ground burning his feet. He was not feeling he was bleeding and leaving a trail of blood stains behind him either.

_Lucien, Lucien, Lu-uh-_ He tripped and fell.

_Bloody hell... Argh... Must... Catch up..._

He lifted himself to be an all four.

_Too hot... I'm too hot..._

He wanted to remove his shirt but his hand started stinging. He sat on his knees, took the Black Rose and tore his shirt apart. He threw the torn fabric away, got on his feet and ran again. He did not care if someone could see a madman running barefoot with a bloodied hand, covered with scars on his back and chest. All that counted was:

_Lucien, Lucien, Lucien..._

Caroline was in the car and speed limits had become optional. She wanted to catch up with her son before he collapsed. She opened the glove box and took a pair of glasses that she put on top of her usual pink ones. The sun was shining and grilling too brightly and too hot.

_Hold on Micky, I'm coming for you. I'm sorry, my Micky, I'm sorry you've been so sad because of us, I'm so sorry, I never meant to make you sad._ Her tears streamed while she was trying her best to focus on the road.

Mundy was still running.

_Lucien, Lucien, Lucien.. Oh!_

Lucien heard a noise behind him. He turned his back and Mundy was too emotional and at a loss in his own mind to actually brake thus crashing into Lucien's arms at full speed. Both men tumbled and feel,Lucien ending up in Lucien's arms, on the ground.

"Mon Dieu Mundy! _Qu'est-ce que tu fais à moitié nu ici ?!"_

_[My God Mundy! What are you doing half naked here?!]_

Mundy could not answer, he was out of breath, out of emotions... and out of blood. He passed out in Lucien's arms.

"Mundy?! MUNDY?! Oh my God, the blood! Your hand you've-! Oh, I see."

Lucien picked up the Black Rose and put it in his pocket. He then took Mundy and put him on his shoulder.

"Right, stay with me Mundy, I'll take you back home, Mundy! Stay with me!"

Mundy was not answering. Lucien walked as fast as he could but Mundy's weight prevented him from running.

" _MERDE MUNDY, NE ME FAIS PAS ÇA, RESTE AVEC MOI, MUNDY ALLEZ!"_

[ _SHIT MUNDY, DON'T DO THAT TO ME, STAY WITH ME, MUNDY, COME ON!]_ He saw a car coming.

_Dieu bénisse cette voiture, qui que ce soit à l'intérieur, je vais les arrêter et si je dois tuer toute une famille pour ramener Mundy chez lui sain et sauf, que Dieu me soit témoin, je le ferai!_

_[God bless that car, whoever it is I'm stopping it, and if I have to kill a whole family inside it to get Mundy to safety, then may God be my witness, I will!]_

Lucien took his knife out of his pocket and with an elegant trick of his finger, threw the blade at the car. It flew and stuck itself in the windscreen, in the middle of it. The car braked so hard that the tyre squeaked leaving black traces of rubber on the asphalt. The car stopped a metre away from Lucien who got closer, took his knife back from the cracked windscreen and shouted angrily.

"YOU THERE, YOU'RE GOING TO TAKE ME AND MY FRIEND HERE EXACTLY WHERE I TELL YOU OR THIS TIME I WILL MAKE SURE THE KNIFE GOES THROUGH YOU!"

Because of the lot of cracks on the windscreen, Lucien did not see who was in the car. Caroline jumped out of it and opened the door for the backseats.

"Oh, it's you Caroline?!"

"Get in!"

Lucien obeyed. He went in the backseats with Mundy.

"I do apologise, I did not recognise you"

"It's fine. Here is the first aid kit. I guess you know what to do."

"He did it to me when we first met. And now I'm doing it to him as I'm about to go."

"You're going nowhere! Heal him!"

Lucien raised his head and looked at Caroline on the inside mirror. She was too focused driving. He got busy with the wound. He disinfected it and put some bandages on it.

"There's a bottle of water, try and get him refreshed with it."

Lucien opened the bottle and poured some water on his hands then put his hands on Mundy's face, brushing them on his forehead and his cheeks.

"C'mon Mundy, C'mon, mon amour, wake up..."

"Is he breathing?"

"Oui, he is still breathing... _"_

Lucien had made Mundy sit and lean on him. He poured water in his hands again and passed his hands on Mundy's face and arms, on his chest too...

"Mon amour..."

Mundy took a deep breath and slowly opened his eyes.

"Mundy?"

"Uh...?"

"Here's the house, Lucien, get ready to carry him in."

"I'm ready."

She stopped the car, jumped out and opened the door for Lucien. He got out and put Mundy back on his shoulder. Caroline led the way in.

"Get your ass out the couch, Mike! Lucien, put him there."

Mike jumped out of the couch and Lucien delicately put Mundy laying down on the couch.

"He's shaking with the cold, I'll grab a duvet and make him wear something!"

"Good idea Lucien, I'll prepare something sweet for hil to get a bit of sugar back!"

Lucien ran upstairs and instictlively wznt to his own suitcase. He took one of his shirts and stripped the duvet our of his bed. He ran back downstairs and to his lover's side. He threw the duvet on Mundy and helped him wear his shirt. Caroline joined in with some cocoa milk in a glass with a straw. Lucien was kneeling down next to Mundy, holding his hand and a his hand on his face, stroking his cheek.

"Mon amour, can you drink at all?"

Mundy's eyes were half open, half closed. He closed them and fell asleep.

"He fell asleep. He must be so tired."

"Well of course he is, he ran half a dozen miles at full speed while losing his blood under the afternoon sun!"

Lucien turned to Caroline.

"Thank you for coming after him."

"I was coming after you both. Come in the dining room."

Mike followed them. She took a broom out and swept the shatterred plates away.

"Take a seat Lucien. You too Mike."

Both men sat down.

"Lucien, all you said is true and I had never thought of that. Our poor Micky never brought anyone home because he pit our happiness and comfort before his own. I do apologise."

Lucien nodded.

"Thank you, but first, let me apologise properly and say that of course I will pay for the damaged windscreen. Second, if anything, you should apologise to him, not to me. And finally, if you just let me wash my hands from the blood and get a change, I will go away and leave you in peace."

Lucien started to stand up but Caroline put her hand firmly on his shoulder.

"I already told you, you're going nowhere. You're family."

Lucien opened eyes the size of Jupiter.

"I beg your pardon, did you really say-?"

"Yes, or as you say, _oui_."

Lucien's eyes filled with tears.

"Mike, you have to know what Lucien nearly did to bring Mundy back here."

Mike looked at his wife.

"He nearly killed me!"

Mike had experienced all the spectrum of the human emotions in a few hours. At this point, his body was uncapable of feeling anything anymore.

"He saw a car coming and while carrying Mundy on his shoulders, he threw his blade at the windscreen, right in the middle. He shouted very angrily that he would not hesitate to kill me if I didn't drive him back here. Mike, do you understand?"

Mike's stare was blank.

"Micky was ready to bleed himself dry for Lucien and Lucien was ready to kill to get him to safety. Mike?!"

"Yes, I'm listening."

"So what? Come on, you have to apologise to Lucien and Mundy and you have to thank Lucien."

"What for?!"

If she could, Caroline would have shot real bullets at her husband with her eyes. She gave him a black stare.

"Roight, roight. Lucien, I... I don't fully understand everything but I'm grateful that you returned Micky here. Also, I..."

"Mike...?"

"I..."

"Go to hell with your pride Mike! I'm telling you he saved our son and they love each other the same way we do!"

Mike sighed. He stood up and went to Lucien.

"Lucien."

Lucien looked up at him. Mike extended his hand.

"I apologise, son. Welcome to the family."

Lucien stood up and, learning from his own son, he took Mike's hand and hugged him. Caroline's face brightened. Mike returned the hug.

"I apologise so much... I hope Micky will forgive me."

"Mike, if we are happy for him to be with Lucien, I think he will find it in his heart to forgive us. Now, Lucien, go wash your hand, dear."

"Merci."

He went at Caroline and hugged her. She hugged him, from the tip of her toes, dearly.

\-- _Later that afternoon --_

Mundy opened his eyes.

"Lucien...?"

Lucien was sitting on the rug in front of the sofa where Mundy was lying, he was reading a book. Upon hearing his name, he dropped the book and turned.

"Mon amour, you are up?"

When Mundy saw Lucien's face and heard his voice, he smiled.

Lucien looked around. Mike was out somewhere in the farm and Caroline was in the kitchen.

_La voie est libre._

_[They're all out of the way.]_

He was on his knees, got his face closer to Mundy's and pit his lips on his lover's.

"Thank you, luv'."

"Non, mon amour, thank your mother. I'll go and get her and your father. Stay awake, please."

Mundy blinked and nodded slightly. Lucien got on his feet and went to the dining room.

"Caroline? He's up."

"Oh my Micky!!"

She dropped everything she had in her hand and went to check on her son.

"Mum..?"

"Micky, oh my Micky, forgive me please!"

She kissed his forehead.

"I apologise for everything. Hopefully you will forgive me, I didn't mean to harm you."

He smiled.

"As long as I can stay with Lu'."

"You can and you will. He's family, he's your... your..."

"Everything."

Caroline's look softened as she saw the very loving look Mundy gave Lucien when he said that.

"Oh, look at you being so cute!"

He blushed slightly.

"Is he up?"

Mike had entered and seeing both Lucien and Caroline around the sofa, he joined them.

"Mundy, son, I'm sorry I've been so stupid."

"It's fine dad."

"No, it's not. I apologise to you and Lucien. Your mum's right-ouch!"

Caroline had gave an elbow knock to Mike.

"Roight, roight, _Lucie_ _n was right_. I'm sorry to have behaved the way I did."

"It's ok.. I just want Lucien to stay, dad, I love him."

Mike smiled, although a bit sadly as he thought that it took him a lot of time and effort and drama for him to realise that yes, all his son needed was Lucien.

"I know. And I try to understand."

"Mike?"

"Roight, roight, I understand. You love... _him_ exactly the same as I love your mum... _somehow_..."

"Mike!"

"Alroight, fine! Anyway, Lucien can stay. After all he did for you, it can't be bad to keep him with you."

"Oh crickey Mike!"

"What?! That's what I needed to say, innit?!"

Caroline facepalmed.

"What your father is saying is that we're very happy for you to stay together, boys."

Mundy smiled and his cheeks went pink. He slided his bandaged hand out of the duvet and took Lucien's. A tear fell from his eye.

" _A lesson engraved in the flesh, eh?"_

Lucien smiled.

"Oh! That's my sentence!"

"I have no idea what you're talking about but please Micky don't cry, you've lost enough blood and water today!"

_**\-- Author's notes --** _

What a marathon. I have written chapter 35 and 36 in one sitting and here I am. It is now 10.19pm and I haven't had dinner yet. Also I can't feel my knuckles anymore as, as always, I've been writing on my phone. It has been approximately 5 hours of writing without stopping. _oof!_

See y'all around for 37!


	37. Chapter 37

Mundy opened his eyes. The sun had started shining through the curtains. He looked to his left and saw the washed out green foliage of the wallpaper he was so used to waking up to. He turned his head to the right. Lucien was still asleep. Mundy smiled and looked at his lover sleeping.

_He looks so carefree when he sleeps..._

His front tuft was ruffled slightly and the limit between his hair and his forehead started to betray the tan that the Australian sun had entailed. Mundy's eyes went down to Lucien's eyes. Of course he loved everthing about Lucien but his eyes... They were something else. Even closed, they looked poetic, _romantic._ He had long dark eyelashes that he knew how to use very well. Many a time did Mundy fell hypnotised by their charm when they fluttered. His eyes continue to travel down to Lucien's thin nose and then his mouth. He bit his lip. Lucien had thin lips which, for some people, means less to kiss. Mundy was not one of them. He absolutely adored Lucien's lips.

_I would kiss you, but you'd wake up..._

"I don't mind."

Lucien's lips had moved and he was now smiling, his eyes still closed. Mundy got startled out of surprise but then got closer to him and put his lips on Lucien's. The Frenchman opened his eyes and slided his hand on Mundy's cheek.

"Bonjour mon amour."

"Morning, love."

They stared at each other for a while.

"How do you feel?"

"Amazing. You have no idea how happy I was to open my eyes, see that I was in my home bedroom and see you with me."

Lucien was stroking Mundy's cheek with his thin, delicate fingers.

"I was asking if you felt well for your hand more than that but I'm also glad to share _your_ bed."

"Oh."

Mundy got his hand out of the bedsheets and tried to close his fist with the bandage.

"It hurts like hell to move it."

"Ah, I'm not surprised. Your cut was quite deep. Did you really not feel anything?"

Mundy looked at Lucien in the eye.

"Apart from despair because I was losing you? Nothing."

Lucien smiled.

"Merci mon coeur."

[Thanks, sweetheart.]

His fingers travelled to Mundy's lips and he stared at them, stroking them slowly.

"Oh, do you smell that?"

"It smells like your parents are downstairs having breakfast. Also they're listening to the radio."

"Whot?!"

"Can't you hear it?"

They both went silent for an instant and Mundy managed to hear the radio. He nodded. He was loving the feel of Lucien's fingers on his lips. Lucien broke the silence again.

"This is going to sound ridiculous but..."

"But?"

"You have the best lips I've ever had the pleasure to kiss."

Mundy smirked.

"Oh then I must have the best ones in the whole bloody world!"

"Are you implying that I've kissed everyone there is?!"

Mundy nodded.

"Oh, you- I didn't!"

"Well you had a go with all the ladies in Paris and wherever you went! And given you were a spy, you travelled everywhere!"

"Exactly, which means that I ' _had a go'_ as you say with only _half_ the world's population, as it's only the ladies plus you!"

Mundy frowned and he sat up on the bed, his back to the wall.

"It's technically the majority of this planet's people then."

Lucien sighed. He was now facing Mundy, as he was on all four, his head the same height at Mundy's. His light blue eyes shone fiercely as he took a step forward. Mundy was bewitched. Lucien really reminded him of the panthers they have at the zoo. As he took that step forward, his spine twisted on the side, revealing his shouler blades sharply under his skin. His intense stare pierced through Mundy's eyes directly to his soul.

" _Arrête tes conneries et viens ici...!"_

[ _Stop your nonesense and come here...!]_

Lucien kissed him passionately and sat on his pelvis, losing his hands in the Australian's hair who put his on Lucien's sides, sliding them under his tee-shirt.

"I thought I was going to lose you..."

Mundy looked at Lucien.

"Love, you were the one going away."

"And I did it for you."

"But you looked so... emotionless. You looked as if you didn't care."

"Mundy mon coeur, I was furious, outraged and about to destroy everything around me. I gave you my knife as a souvenir to keep but also to avoid slitting someone's throat on my way to the airport. I still had my fists but I put them hard clenched in my pockets and was going to stay like that, as if they were cuffed for as long as it hurt, which would probably have been a very long time. I also intended to stop singing at the restaurant and lock myself up at home. There was no one else I could sing for and nothing that could possibly get me out of my bed. In a word, I was about to let myself rot in my flat until..."

Lucien closed his eyes and frowned. Mundy opened wide eyes.

"I... woah... uh... I guess you would have found someone in the end.

Lucien opened his eyes.

"Non."

"Yes you would, you could have anyone at your feet in a bat of your eyelids!"

"Maybe but I don't want anyone but you!"

He carressed Mundy's lips with his delicate fingers.

"But we don't have to worry anymore, mon amour. All you have to think about now is healing your hand and..."

Mundy raised an eyebrow.

"And?"

Lucien flapped his eyelashes like a butterfly's wings. He whispered.

"I have some plans for you..."

His index finger travelled fron Mundy's lips down to his chin. He raised it up slightly and continued to travel down on his neck, and his chest. His touch was so delicate, it felt like he was teasing Mundy's skin with a feather, sending shivers down his spine.

Mundy closed his eyes and held his breath. Lucien went close to his ear.

"I will take care of you, love of my life."

Hearing those sweet words made Mundy's eyes roll up. Next thing he felt was Lucien's lips on his, very delicately but also briefly. It stopped too soon! Mundy opened his eyes. Oh but then he felt something else. Something that made everything in his body tense up. His ears pricked up and turned hot, the hairs on his arms, on his legs and everywhere stood up.

_Oh my..._

Lucien knew very well how sensitive Mundy was to his tongue. But he had never tried to find the limits of that sensitivity. Mundy felt it drawing his lips. The lower one first, then the upper one, slowly, seductively. He looked one last time at Lucien, surrounded by the green foliage of his bedroom's wallpaper, and closed his eyes. He opened his mouth slightly, asking for more and Lucien dived in, like a bullet in his skull, blowing up Mundy's head in a million pieces. He tightened his grip on Lucien's waist and he felt the Frenchman work his way through his neck now. Mundy raised his head up and felt Lucien's sharp and thin teeth stinging like a swarm of bees defending their queen and their precious honey. Lucien's fingers were travelling down too, and his nails were slightly scratching Mundy's chest, prickling his skin like the bites of a million fire ants. Mundy moaned, knowing his parents were downstairs and busy, he was free to let his emotions go. But soon he gasped.

_Lucien!_

Mundy gave in and melted to lie down on the bed again. The panther found the weak spot of his gazelle. For real animals, it would be the neck. Not here, it was not the powerful bite of a lion's teeth in Mundy's neck that made his whole body jerk up. No. It was more powerful than that and paradoxically, much less deadly.

Mundy lost the fingers of his left hand in Lucien's hair, grasping it firmly. He could only breathe sporadically, feeling the build up of tension. His whole body was getting warmer and warmer, his ears were scorching hot and his right hand's wounds burnt with pain. But he couldn't feel it. He could not see or taste anything. All he could hear was his heart beat and pulses of blood rushing to his temple like an angry bull charging at an immutable wall.

_B-boom._

Again.

_B-boom._

And again.

All he could feel between his fingers was Lucien's silk hair, which had grown a bit longer now. It curled a bit at the ends. He bit his lip. And of course, he was feeling the repeated rushes of pleasure Lucien was creating, like waves growing and crashing violently and periodically against imposing black rocks. But each time a wave crashes, the next grows bigger and Mundy had to walk back from the shore. Again, and again.

But Mundy felt it. The waves would soon stop as in the horizon he could see the tsunami approaching, its rumbling growing louder.

" _Lu'... My love... I..."_

Lucien understood and while he made sure the tsunami kept on approaching the shore, he swiflty slided back on top of Mundy, who wrapped his arms around him. He was pulling his lover strongly against him, their chests against each other and Lucien buried his face in Mundy's neck.

_"Aaaargh!"_

Mundy grip on Lucien's back tightened suddenly and very strongly as he buried his heels in the beds, raising his body and Lucien's up slightly. He was pulling him so stronly that Lucien had trouble breathing as his chest was being crushed against his lover's. And as quickly as it rose, Mundy's body collapsed back on the bed and he breathed heavily. Lucien stayed there. He loved to feel his lover's arms around him and feel the warmth of his chest against his.

"Huh... my God... Lu'... ah... I..."

Lucien kissed Mundy's neck and came back at his lips. He left a quick peck and sat up.

"Take your time to catch your breath mon amour."

Mundy opened his eyes and saw Lucien was adjusting his hair, especially his front tuft.

"Good Lord... C'mere..."

Mundy pulled his lover in his arms and held him close, his head on his chest, his lips on his hair.

"I love you, Lucien, I love you so much."

Lucien smiled and closed his eyes. His ear was above Mundy's heart. But suddenly there was a knock at the door.

"Boys, breakfast is ready!"

"Right mum, we're coming!"

Lucien raised his head and Mundy kissed his forehead.

"One to nil, I owe you, love."

Lucien got off the bed.

"Non, I owe you as much."

Both men dressed up and joined Caroline and Mike in the dining room.

"Mornin' boys!"

"Mornin' mum."

"Caroline."

Both men sat, this time side by side.

"Help yourself boys, and here's the jam and butter."

She put them on the table and put her hands one on each man.

"You slept well?"

Mundy blushed intensely.

"Oui, merci."

Said Lucien with a smirk. Caroline understood immediately.

"Good." She simply replied.

She knew her son would not be comfortable so she made her question the quickest and shortest possible.

"Roight, when you get done with breakfast, I want a word with you sweetie. If you don't mind Lucien, would you go and help Mike at the farm?"

"But of course."

"Everything alright, mum?"

"Yeah, yeah, don't worry."

Mundy and Lucien had their breakfast, wondering what Caroline wanted to talk to her son about.

**_\- Author's notes -_ **

Thanks guys! Enjoy this more relaxed chapter as an apology for the roller coaster that were chapter 35 and 36 !

Big shout out to the discord crew, you are da best 3 !

Anyone who wants to join, feel free to as long as you're over 18, usual link and in the end:

/BPbVqct


	38. Chapter 38

Lucien finished his breakfast first. He left the table and, looking behind, he saw that Caroline was busy washing some dishes, he brushed Mundy's head with his hand and left a light, silent kiss on his head. Caroline's ear pricked up and she smiled. He put his cup in the sink.

"Let me wash the dishes for you, Caroline."

"Nah, sweetie, it's fine, you go wear something for the farm and find Mike."

Lucien smiled and blushed as it was the first time Caroline called him "sweetie".

"I'm afraid I don't have anything suitable to wear for the farm."

"Ah, let me help with that!"

Mundy had spoken with his mouth half full.

"Yeah Micky, give him something."

"Follow me, Lu'."

They climbed back upstairs and Mundy opened his wardrobe.

"Roight, you can wear this shirt and uhm... I used to have some... Ah, here they are! Overalls!"

Lucien had undressed and started to put on the clothes that Mundy gave him. The shirt had short sleeves and red chequers and the overalls were washed out blue. Lucien put them on and stood in front of the mirror and was closing his buttons. Mundy stood behind Lucien while doing so.

"You look..."

Lucien raised his head.

"Oui?"

"Different."

"Well you're taller than me so the overalls are a bit too long but I've adjusted it with the buttons... And the shirt is a bit too wide in the shoulders."

Mundy wrapped his arms around Lucien's waist and put his head on Lu's shoulder. Lucien finished arranging his outfit. He put a hand on Mundy's cheek and kissed him.

"I see someone is liking what they're seeing."

Mundy sighed.

"What can I say...? You look gorgeous whatever you put on..."

"Merci mon amour."

They cuddled up for a minute.

"I should get going, your mother seemed to really want me out of the way."

"Yeah, true."

Lucien freed himself from Mundy's embrace. But the Australian was anxious. While Lucien walked towards the door, he was staring at himself in the mirror. His hair was ruffled and needed to shave. He was wearing a white tank top with an open shirt and a pair of dark blue shorts which in fact used to be a pair of sweatpants that he had cut into shorts. He was worried about what his mother was going to talk about.

"Mundy?"

He blinked and shook his head as if to zone back to reality. Lucien saw the anxiety in his lover's eyes. He dropped the door knob and walked back to him.

"What's wrong?"

"I don't know what she wants."

"Don't worry, I'm sure it will be fine."

"Don't just say that to calm me down."

Lucien raised his eyes to meet with Mundy.

"Mundy, I know for sure it will be fine. I am not saying this lightly."

"And how do you know?"

Lucien closed the door and switched to French.

" _Son langage corporel n'a trahit aucune animosité quand elle a dit qu'elle voulait te parler."_

_[Her body language didn't betray any animosity when she said she wanted to you.]_

"What?!"

_"Elle a même souri quand je t'ai embrassé sur la tête. À mon avis, elle veut juste prendre de tes nouvelles mais seule à seul."_

_[She even smiled when I kissed you on your head. In my opinion, she just wants to have some news about you but alone.]_

Mundy was looking at Lucien with big wide eyes.

"How can you...? Bah, alroight, fine..."

" _Si je me trompe, tu auras le droit de me demander ce que tu veux ce soir...!"_

_[If I'm wrong, you can ask me anything you want tonight...!]_

Lucien winked and Mundy blushed intensely.

_"Uhm... Ah... Merci mais... Tu m'as déjà gâté ce matin..."_

_[Uhm... Ah... Thanks but... You already spoiled me this morning...]_

Mundy replied in French and Lucien's pupils instantly went wide. He also blushed.

_"Tu as de la chance qu'on soit pressé..."_

_[You're lucky that we're in a hurry...]_

"Or what?"

Lucien came close to Mundy and pushed himself up on the tip of his toes. He put his hand in front of Mundy's ear and whispered.

_"Miaouu..."_

_[Meoww...]_

Mundy went red as a brick as Lucien carressed his cheek. He grasped the Frenchman's hand suddenly, moved it out of his face and dived to his lips. Mundy pushed on Lucien's lips so hard that the Frenchman bent backwards almost to the point of tipping back and falling but Mundy put his arm behind his back and supported him. Meanwhile, with the hand he had grasped, he unfolded his fingers to put them between Lucien's, who tightened his grip on the Australian's fingers. Lucien closed his eyes.

_I don't know what I did to deserve someone like Mundy. My childhood was terrible and only taught me violence. My teenage and young adult days proved me that you can live off that. Then I met Jérémy's mother who slapped me out of her existence right before we got him. Back in Paris, I met with countless other women, pretty, beautiful, gorgeous, irresistible... And I ended up in Mann Co. and he was there! Right under my nose! Right under my bloody nose as he'd say! But no! I just could see a filthy jar man who lives in a van! Oh how stupid I was... And how happy I am!_

Mundy broke the kiss.

"I didn't know you knew some dancing moves."

He helped Lucien to straighten his back again.

_"Je ne demande qu'à apprendre si tu me montres."_

[I only want to learn if you can teach me.]

Lucien winked and adjusted his overalls again.

"I will remember this, Mundy, and I will teach you. Now, we need to go."

\-- _A moment later --_

Lucien had gone to the farm, leaving Mundy in the kitchen with his mother.

"So, uhm... Mum, what did you want to talk to me about?"

Caroline had just finished washing the last cups. She wiped her hands.

"Sit down, Micky, I'll be a minute."

Mundy obeyed his mother and in a few seconds she was back with some bandages and disinfectant.

"Give me your hand."

"Oh, thanks, I could have done that, or asked Lu'."

"It's fine, I can do it."

She started unwrapping the previous bandage from Mundy's hand.

"Roight, so, I wanted to ask you a few things. I might be a bit nosy so please tell me if you don't want to answer. But I'm too curious."

Mundy nodded.

"Before Lucien, had there been anyone in your life?"

Mundy blushed and lowered his head. He did not want to answer at first but it was his mother who was asking...

"I'm only asking because, well, given that you never told us that you preferred men, I was thinking maybe you did have previous... erm... _companions_ but you just never dares introduce them to us."

Mundy slowly raised his head back up. His mother was disinfecting the wound.

"To be honest, no, nobody really. When I was a kid, there was a girl, I can't even remember her name. Like all the boys at highschool, I wanted a girlfriend and we got along nicely. So I asked her out and she accepted. At first I was delighted but then it hit me like a train. I didn't anything else for her than the usual friendship... So I started wondering a lot. And then, there was that new student, Alex. That's when I understood. Whenever our eyes met, I'd blush, whenever he'd talk to me, I'd trip on the words, whenever we had to work together, I couldn't focus."

He sighed. Caroline gently turned his hand and continued cleaning the wound.

"I broke up with that girl because I had realised that yeah, Alex was on my mind all the time, much more than she was... I confronted him once. And I told him that I liked him. Well, I wish I hadn't. He made fun of me and the rest of the school did. That's why I just wanted to isolate myself. I could not tell you or dad about that and I started to think that I had a problem, that I _was_ a problem."

Caroline started putting the new bandage.

"After I left school, I decided to work to earn a living and be independent. There was a point where I thought I needed to go away, as far as I could from you. I sometimes wished I liked girls or even on a very few occasions, I wished I didn't exist at all. If I could vanish from everyone and live in a secluded hut, that would have been perfect."

She finished with the bandage and held her son's hand in hers.

"But I loved you and dad too much. So my hut became a van. I could come and go freely, which was ideal. I could vanish sometimes, when I needed it, and then re-appear. I had the job in the band in a pub, as a saxophone player, you remember?"

She nodded, looking at him with sadness in her eyes.

"Well, the reason why I quitted it was because I was tired. I was tired that each and every night my friends would spend their nights with someone and look at me sadly, with pity in their eyes. But what really decided me is when they paid a..."

He blushed.

"They paid a _woman_ to... Because they had figured that I... Some said to me _'Can't say you don't like it if you never tried it'._ That night, I quitted my job, ran back to my van and cried myself to sleep. And I did that on multiple nights. But at some point it clicked in my head. I just got used to it. I was going to always be alone. Bah, that's fine, I have you and dad, that's all I need."

Caroline looked down at Mundy's hand that she was holding in hers.

"Years had passed and I helped dad in the farm, having the occasional hunting contract here and there. And I got good at hunting, very much so until that Mann Co. came around and hired me. That's where I met Lu'. But he was said to have a lot of success with the ladies and, having talked about it with him, it turns out it was true!"

He smiled although sadly.

"We never saw each other as anything more than colleagues. The few occasions where we exchanged a couple words was when we needed to, on the battlefield. Other than that, I kept in my van and him, in his smoking room."

"So you didn't... _like him_ back then?"

Mundy shook his head.

"No, I didn't. And after that contract ended I came back here and you know the rest of the story."

She nodded, looking thoughtful.

"What Lucien said to you the other day, in front of your father and me, those were very strong words."

Mundy nodded.

"What do _you_ think, Mundy?"

Mundy raised his eyes.

"What do you mean?"

"Well, what do you feel for him? The reason I'm asking this is, well, clearly he loves you that much that he was ready to leave you _for you to be happy._ Such actions are very hard to make. And you ran after him as if your life depended on it. I just want to know what _you_ feel for him and please, from now on, do talk to me about your feelings, Mundy. Don't think that it's awkward or I don't care cause that's wrong. I'm your mother, I want you to be as happy as possible, sweetie... Now, tell me."

Mundy took a deep breath.

"I... I don't know where to start... He is a... I mean I... uh... I can't really find the words, sorry..."

"Take your time, sweetie."

Mundy looked down at his bandaged hand and tighened his grip on his mother's hand.

"Mum, I love him. I love him so much. When I bumped onto him the day I met him in Paris, I had no idea it was him. In the Mann Co. days, he used to wear a mask but in Paris, he wasn't. He recognised me but I didn't him. I offered to fix his hand and he taught me French in exchange for it. And the days passed that turned into weeks... At some point, I offered him a tour at the zoo and in the end, he suggested we got get dinner somewhere. Somewhere inside me, there was this loud voice that I was trying to shut up. That voice was screaming those feelings that I had developed for him without realising it."

"Oh..."

"You know, it's like a... like an itch but you can't scratch it off..."

"I know what it feels, Mundy and it's called _'being in love'."_

Mundy smiled.

"He drove to a restaurant and when he parked the car, he told me that he knew."

"About what? Your feelings for him?"

"No, that I liked men. And mum, I got terrified. I saw myself back in highschool being bullied and humiliated for it. I saw that night with the guys at the pub... But he said it didn't matter. Mum, he said _it. didn't. matter..._ I was shocked! He took me inside the restaurant, the food was lovely and then he disappeared. Mum, you're never going to believe what he did. There was a stage with a pianist in that restaurant. He appeared there and sang... _for me_..."

Mundy's voice was trembling. Caroline's jaw dropped as she put a hand on her mouth to cover it.

"Aw!"

"If only you were there... Mum he has an amazing voice, he can do imitations as well. But when he sang that night, it felt like he had pierced through my ribcage and was holding my heart in his hand, pressing it harder and harder... When he finished, a waiter asked me to go and see him backstage. I obeyed and there he was. He told me the truth, that he was the Spy from Mann Co. and that he... _he loved me."_

Mundy had tears in his eyes. He sniffed. His mother's eyes also filled with tears.

"Next thing I remember, I woke up having spent the best night of my life and having someone I loved _and who loved me_ _back_ by my side..."

He sniffed again.

"You know, he is very clever when it comes to people, he knows them and understands. And for the first time I had found someone with whom I could share all of me with... My joys, my sorrows, what makes me happy, what annoys me... It's... It's the best feeling I've experienced all the more so that I had abandoned the dream of finding such a person...!"

He wiped his tears with the back of his left hand.

"Mum, I'm so glad you accept him."

"No, I don't."

Mundy opened wide eyes.

"Whot?!"

"I don't just accept him. May God be praised for having made your paths cross! I am delighted for you two. You look so lovely! And please, you don't need to hide. If you want to cuddle up or anything, feel free to do it, even in front of us."

Mundy's face brightened.

"Thank you so much, but I don't think we really can. I think dad would look at us strangely."

"Well, he has to get used to it! You love each other! If Lucien had been a girl, he wouldn't mind you doing that so what if he's a man? It doesn't change anything! You know Mundy, I'm truly happy you found your match and you found the courage to talk to us about it. Also, I am convinced of one thing."

"What?"

Caroline pushed her chair back and stood up. She went to Mundy who was still sat down and hugged him.

"He's the right one for you."

Mundy blushed intensely and his face wore the biggest smile he could.

"There is only one thing that makes me a little bit sad."

"Oh, what's that?"

"You'll never give me grandkids..."

Mundy turned and looked at his mum.

"Lucien has a son, mum, he's living with us in Paris."

_"WHAAAAT?! AM I A GRANDMA AND YOU DIDN'T TELL ME?!"_

_**\-- Author's notes --** _

Ayyy thanks for reading guys :D !

Shout out to the discord crew, as always, it's thanks to them and all your comments that I keep on writing this story :) !

See y'all around for the next one!


	39. Chapter 39

 

 

 

"Mike? Good morning."

Mike turned and saw Lucien.

"Ah, mornin' son! I see you put on some of Micky's stuff."

Lucien blushed slightly. He thought Mike felt awkward, seeing him wearing his son's clothes.

"Yes, I didn't have anything suitable for farm's work..."

"It's alright! C'mere, can you help me carry some of these bags?"

"Sure."

And there they went. Lucien listened and followed Mike closely. He discovered the range of chickens, ducks, turkeys and geese that the old man was raising.

"I'm amazed by the number of animals you have."

"Oh, that's nothing! I used to have much, much more! But I'm getting older and with Caroline, we don't have anyone to help us here."

He showed Lucien where to put the bag of seeds.

"Here, grab one of those baskets and follow me."

Lucien obeyed. The birds did not live in cages but where free to roam in the backyard, which Lucien thought looked infinite.

"You have a very wide space for the birds."

"Yeah, they're animals after all, they need to have their space and their freedom."

Lucien smiled.

_Just as Mundy would have said..._

"Right, see there? That's some nests, try and see if you can get the eggs."

" _D'accord._ "

Lucien crouched down next to the nests. He had no problem collecting the eggs. Sometimes the hens would come to try and defend them. He'd distract them, talk to them calmly in French and steal the eggs right from under their noses, or rather their beaks.

Mike was busy a couple metres away collecting other ones but he could hear Lucien and was watching him, out of curiosity.

"You look very comfy with the hens for a city boy."

"My father used to have a backyard with a couple of hens. I loved to take care of them as a child."

"Hm.."

They filled their baskets. Mike started walking back towards the barn, followed by Lucien.

"Son, can I ask you something?"

"But of course."

"Actually there are a couple things that you told me that I can't quite wrap my head around."

"Pray ask."

"You said you nearly got a wife... You uhm... I mean, you used to like girls?"

Lucien looked at Mike in the eye. He was surprised that he would ask something that intimate but equally, that meant that he wanted to understand Lucien, which was nice.

"Mundy is the only man I have felt that for. Before him, it was only women."

"And I bet Caroline was right, you'd get all of them if you wanted."

Lucien smiled.

"I had my success, oui, and in my younger days, I very much took advantage of that."

"Not anymore?"

"Of course not, I lo- I am with Mundy now."

Lucien was not sure if using the sentence _"I love Mundy"_ was appropriate yet.

"Nah of course, but I mean before him?"

"Non, never. I never felt that way for a man. Somehow it's much stronger that what I've experienced in the past. When you meet a woman, you're single, she's single too, it's in a bar or a club, the lights are low, you want her, she wants you too and, well, it ends the next morning. That was what I was used to doing when I was much, much younger. I did meet a couple women whom I thought I would spend my life with. One I underestimated, the other I just was tired of looking so I got with her because I was getting older..."

"Hm... Quite selfish."

Lucien looked at Mike and blushed. He felt ashamed.

"Indeed. But I'm closer to the end of my life that I am of the beginning. And as I said, I was tired. I felt like I needed to settle down and so I did with a lady that I convinced myself would be the one I'd end my days with."

"Did you love her?"

Lucien took a deep breath.

"I thought I did, I really did. It turns out my mother was right, she was with me because of my looks and money, and I accepted it out of tiredness and old age."

"Ah, you still have your parents then I assume?"

"That's a long story, Mike, and an unpleasant one at that..."

Mike sat on a pile of hay.

"I have all the time you need."

Lucien opened wide eyes. He was touched by the way Mike wanted to know him. He sat opposite him on the grass. Some hens came around him and started pecking him.

"Well, first you must know that I know very little about my family."

"Very curious for a spy."

Lucien smiled.

"It's true. But that is because I made that choice. When I was a child, I lived with my father. He was very wealthy so I had a very good education, in private schools. He wanted me to become a successful lawyer, like him, and take the business after him."

"And your mum?"

"He used to tell me I'd see her when grow up. One day I was about 16 and I insisted on seeing her. He put me in a car and drove for a long time, he took us out of Paris completely, in landscapes I will never forget. Wheat fields that waved up and down as the the car was racing past, like a golden sea under the blue sky. The yellow and fertile plains went as far as the eye could see. When he stopped, we were in a small village and it was in front of the gate of a cemetery."

Mike opened wide eyes.

"I'm sorry, son."

"That's not the worst part. She had passed away quite recently and that made me furious. In all these years I could have seen her but I didn't."

Mike took a straw from the pile and chewed on it while closing his eyes listening carefully to Lucien's story. The Frenchman was sitting cross-legged and a hen jumped between his legs. It sat down there, in the warmth. Lucien stroked it.

"That's when I started to understand a lot of things. My father was a monster. He bent everyone to his will with money, and that included my mother. He just wanted an heir to the family business and money. That was the only reason why I was born. He used my mother as..."

Mike opened his eyes.

"It's ok, son, I understand."

"Thank you... And so I decided to flee. I ended up in the streets of Paris. But a very kind lady took care of me, Marie-France, the lady I consider as my mother."

"Is she still...?"

"Oui, she is still alive and she continues to take care of some children. I go back to see her frequently. I introduced Mundy to her."

"Oh..."

"Mike, to understand what that means I must first tell you that I never _ever_ introduced any of the women I've been with to Marie-France."

Mike frowned.

"Why?"

"I... When I was young, a woman was only a doll for the night. A small consolation for a miserable start in life."

"What do you mean?"

"When I was young and living with Marie-France, I thought life was the most cruel and unfair experience one could go through. My father had deprived me from my mother voluntarily, he had treated her like a... like a..."

He could not say it. He frowned and continued.

"He raised me not like a proper human being but like his copy. As if he would continue living through me, continue earn piles of money defending criminals in court, sending whatever party had less money to prison... And then I found myself in the streets, bullied and beaten up by children or teenagers twice my height and weight. Marie-France raised me first to survive, like a stray animal and that's not something she made because she wanted, but because that was the only form of education I accepted to receive. I was so angry, furious and frustrated that day and night I swore to myself I would grow up to be more powerful than my father, come back to him and break him. First I thought I would physically break him, wreck him, shred him to pieces. But as I grew up, I thought I should get a proper job, why not become a lawyer after all, become his harshest rival and make him pay the same way he used to feel superior to people, with the law. In other words, I wanted to send him to prison. I had seen plenty of people in the streets who had come out of prison and they were utterly broken, unable to start a new life."

Lucien sighed.

"I'm getting side-tracked here. My main point is that I thought life owed me a lot. So any woman who was willing to spend a night with me, I would gladly make sure they end up doing so. And I thought that was compensation for that miserable childhood and youth."

Lucien smiled.

"How stupid one can be when one is young and unexperienced...! Of course Marie-France knew I had my success. There wasn't a person who did not know! After all, I had very good looks when I was younger, and some very good manners as well."

"So you got the love and comfort that you never got from your mother with those ladies?"

Lucien felt something shatter inside him. He opened his mouth slightly but could not breathe. He could only hear his own heartbeat inside his head as his breath stopped.

Mike got up off the pile of hay and sat down next to Lucien. He put a hand on his shoulder.

"It's alright, son."

The warmth of Mike's hand on his shoulder diffused to Lucien's heart.

"I know I am not the companion that you had expected or wanted for Mundy. But Michael, I swear on my son that I will do anything, _may it be within or outside the laws of this planet,_ to make Mundy happy."

Lucien looked around him. A dozen hens had sat down and were circling him, without counting the one that thought his lap was a warm and comfortable nest.

"I know. And I must say what you did the other day impressed me."

Lucien turned his head to look at him.

"Ah, oui, I owe you an apology."

"What for?"

"I did threaten to kill you."

"It's alright, that's not what I meant."

"Oh?"

"Son, you clearly... _love_ Mundy an awful lot. And even so, you were ready to leave him because at that moment, you thought it was right thing to do, not for you, but _for him."_

Lucien nodded and lowered his head to stroke the hen on his lap. He plucked a daisy.

"That is what I said, Mike. I will do anything to make him happy. If it means that I end up sad..."

He plucked a petal out of the daisy.

"... so be it. If it means going back to France and stopping singing in the restaurant..."

_Pluck!_

"... so be it. Rotting in my flat seeing noone?"

_Pluck!_

"Anyday, as long as he is happy."

Mike patted him on the shoulder.

"Y'know what, son?"

Lucien looked up to meet his eyes.

"I think you're the right person for him. I mean..."

Mike removed his straw hat off his head and his hand from Lucien's shoulder.

"... I talked with Caroline yesterday night. Actually, we barely got any sleep. She made me realise a lot of things. I think I finally understand how Micky could run after you that day. I mean, once you understand, it's bloody obvious!"

Lucien smiled.

"You know, he is not getting any younger either, Micky, and to think that he never had anyone in his life before you _because of us_...? Well, I feel miserable."

Lucien's smile vanished and he frowned. He was now hearing a father who was saying:

"I prevented my own son, my lovely Micky, to be happy."

Lucien put his hand on Mike's shoulder.

"Do not dwell on this thought too much. What has been done, has been done. There is nothing you can do now to change it."

"Yeah, I know... But I can't help thinking about it."

"Mike."

Mike turned to look at Lucien in the eye.

"Mundy loves you. He is absolutely not resentful. All he did, he did it for you and Caroline, because he loves you two more than anything else. You should feel proud to have such an exceptional son."

Mike smiled.

"You're roight. And thanks."

"What for?"

"For taking care of my Micky the way you did, giving him his smile back, making him happy."

"It is my pleasure. And to be honest, he brought me back from the dead with his kind heart..."

"You mean your hand?"

"That, and the rest. That day I met Mundy, I told you, I was on my way to kill my ex's new partner."

"Ah, yeah."

Mike gulped.

"Mundy saved both our lives."

Mike smiled.

"He's a sweet boy, innit?"

"Oui, very much so."

They stayed silent, on the grass, surrounded by the hens.

"He is also the only one able to calm me down when I get angry."

"Oh?"

"I have inherited this from my father. When I get angry, I can wreck anything. But not when he's around. His mere presence brings me peace. By the way, that's why I left my knife with him when I first left."

"What do you mean?"

"I could have killed so many people on my way to the airport..."

Mike looked horrified and astounded at how calm Lucien was saying that as if killing was a daily, casual thing to do.

"... and I would have got away with it. All the police forces in the world could look for me, they would never find me. That's why I left my knife with Mundy. Also, I wanted him to have a souvenir, something he could look at and remember me, if he wanted."

"Killing is no way to solve problems, son. You gotta stop thinking about it as if it was a valid solution to your problems."

"If only I could..."

Lucien sighed and smiled.

"Merci for your time Mike."

"Nah, son, thank _you_. And please, can I ask you one last thing?"

Mike had taken Lucien by his forearm.

"Of course."

Mike tightened his grip and Lucien knew something was boiling inside Mike.

"Take care of my Micky. He's our only son and he deserves the best. Make him happy."

Lucien was struck. He looked in Mike's eyes and saw that what was boiling inside was guilt and remorse.

"Michael, I promise to make Mundy the happiest he could possibly be. I will take care of him and think of him before I can think of myself."

Mike smiled and his grip loosened on Lucien's arm.

"Thank you, son."

They remained silent for a moment. Lucien could feel the tension inside Mike's mind and the struggle to hold his tears back. He nonetheless pretended he had not noticed, out of respect.

"Let's go back home. We gotta take some eggs with us, Caroline told me she needed some."

" _D'accord."_

_[Agreed.]_

_\-- In the house, a couple hours later --_

"Roight boys, you sure you don't want to come with us to the market?"

Lucien and Mundy were helping Mike, putting eggs and some of the birds in his truck.

"Mike, let them have their space without us for a bit!"

"Thanks dad but we'll stay."

Mundy looked lovingly at Lucien's smiling face.

"Oui, merci Mike."

"Roight, roight, but don't wreck the place ok?"

"Mike, get in the car already..."

Caroline was smiling and sighing at the same time. Mike climbed up the truck and started the engine. Meanwhile, Caroline walked back to Mundy and pushed herself on the tip of her toe, Mundy bent down and she kissed his cheek.

"You have fun boys. I baked some cake, it's in the kitchen, on the counter, help yourself when you fancy it."

"Thanks mum!"

She moved and turned to Lucien. She pushed herself on the tip of her toes and kissed his cheek.

"You look after my Micky, ok?"

Lucien blushed intensely and put a hand on his cheek. Caroline's lips left a mark on his skin, as if it was radiating heat. He had received countless kisses on his cheek but it was the first time that he received a motherly one. Even with Marie-France he couldn't remember the last time that it had happened.

"Uhm... Oui, oui, I will... Merci."

"Caroline? You comin'?"

"Yeah, yeah!"

She smiled and her cheeks went pink. She walked back to the car, jumped in and the truck started rolling. Mundy waved at his parents as they got further and further away.

"Roight, so, we got the house for ourselves, anything you want to do in part- Lu'?"

Mundy had turned and was facing Lucien whose face was still red as a brick.

"Are you ok luv'?"

Lucien zoned back in reality and cleared his throat.

"Ahem, sorry, oui, mon amour, you were saying?"

"You're red as a brick."

"Am I? Oh, uh, well, sorry I'll... uh..."

Mundy took Lucien hands in his.

"You're adorable when you blush, and you don't do that often."

"Does that mean I'm _not often adorable?!"_

Mundy opened wide eyes.

"That's not what I meant, sorry luv', I meant it as in 'it's a shame you don't blush more often'!"

"That's not what you said though!"

Lucien turned on his heels and gave his back to Mundy, crossing his arms.

"I am offended. I am _not often adorable in the eyes of Monsieur Mundy."_

Mundy facepalmed. He then got an idea.

"Alroight, you want to have a sulk, fine."

"What do you-whaaaaat?! PUT ME DOWN MUNDY!"

Mundy had gone around and lifted Lucien off the ground. He was now carrying him on his shoulder, like a potato bag, his chest and head upside down behind his back. Mundy threw away his slippers and walked barefoot on the grass.

"Mundy! Mundy, put me down!!"

"Now I'm the one sulking and not listening. What are you gonna do, eh?"

Lucien sighed.

"You are such a child sometimes!"

"Me?! _You_ were the one going angry cause you thought I said you weren't adorable!"

"But that's because that's exactly what you said!"

"No I didn't! Now stop wiggling or we're both gonna fall! And y'all, the chickens, make way, heavy load comin' through!"

The hen were cackling and moving away from Mundy's steps.

" _Heavy load?!_ Am I a burden for you now?!"

"For the love of God...!"

"What?!"

Mundy stopped under a tree's shade. He knelt down and bent, unrolling Lucien from his shoulder and making him lie on his back, on the grass in the shade.

"Finally!"

Mundy was on all four, next to his lover, looking at him, his grey and black hair mixing and contrasting beautifully with the green grass around him. His eyes, as always, pierced through Mundy and he felt like the Frenchman was reading his emotions directly on the thin and ethereal page that is his soul.

"You're doing it again."

"Whot?"

"Your pupils. You look like... _un chaton."_

[a kitten]

Mundy smiled. He stepped across Lucien's body and now had one knee on each of his sides. He put his hands flat on the grass, next Lucien's head and stared at his eyes.

"Mundy?"

He couldn't hear anything. He couldn't breathe either. The hens had moved away, their cackling had faded, and they were alone under that imposing oak. Mundy was mesmerised by Lucien's charm. He gazed at him for a minute that seemed like a second. Lucien enlaced his arms around Mundy's neck like ivy around a tree branch. He caressed Mundy's cheeks.

Mundy was fighting the strong, almost electric attraction, to Lucien's lips. He knew that the moment he yieled to it, he would lose his mind.

Lucien smirked.

_"Mon petit chaton..."_

_[My small kitten...]_

Lucien's hand slided, his index tracing down Mundy's forehead and stopped at the tip of his nose. Mundy tried to look at Lucien's finger and crossed his eyes, which made Lucien smile. Mundy relaxed and looked deep in Lucien's eyes.

_"Oh, but I know you'll cause me grief_

_Close friends of mine are in disbelief_

_As they can see what's underneath_

_Fluttering lashes, red lips and pearly white teeth"_

Mundy whispered, singing slightly. Lucien smiled and completed the lyrics, singing delicately.

" _Fear and delight_

_All the way through the night_

_With a little daring do_

_I'll fall in love with you"_

Mundy smiled in return. Lucien cleared his throat and changed the song.

_"I_ _'m out of my head_

_Of my heart, and my mind_

_Cause you can run, but you can't hide"_

He slided his hand to Mundy's chin and held it between his index and middle finger delicately.

_"I'm gonna make you mine_

_Out of my head_

_Of my heart and my mind_

_Cause I can feel how your flesh now is crying out for more..."_

Mundy couldn't resist anymore. That last sentence resonated in his skull like metallic church bells on a Sunday morning for mass.

_Your flesh is crying out for more._

_**Your flesh is crying out for more.** _

Mundy dived straight to Lucien's lips, his body collapsing on his lover's to feel it against him. Feel the friction between their... clothes? _Screw the clothes._

Mundy removed his tee-shirt and ripped Lucien's shirt open, sending the buttons flying and getting lost in the green grass. He helped him out of it and threw it away. Now he felt much, much better. He dived back and kissed him again, feeling his sweet and soft lips, like the petals of a rose in the morning dew.

Lucien felt his lover's chest on his and Mundy's hands caressing his shoulder's and sliding all the way to his hands, opening his arms wide, brushing the grass which tickled their arms, as if Mundy was spreading's Lucien's wings on the green surface. Mundy's whole body slided down slightly, his hands retracting back to Lucien's face, caressing his cheeks, losing his fingers in his hair. He kissed his neck, biting it from time to time, but Lucien did not complain. On his back, he was is the million safe arms of mother Earth, the grass enlancing his body everywhere and tickling delicately his skin. On the other side, his lover was caressing delicately and kissing wildly and intensly his neck, his chest, his stomach...

Mundy was now facing Lucien's belt. In a fraction of a second, it flew away and Mundy was pulling Lucien's shorts and his away. Only one layer of fabric now stood between Lucien's most vulnerable areas and Mundy's fervor.

Lucien raised his head off the grass and looked down as he did not understand what was happening. Mundy had bitten into the fabric, making sure he would also bite Lucien's skin around his pelvis and was pulling that last layer off with a seductive, savage smirk. It flew away, like the other obstacles between Lucien and Mundy.

There was one last thing that Mundy needed to do to send his lover on another planet.

_"Je vais te dévorer tout cru."_

_[I will devour you raw (litterally).]_

Mundy pounced back on him. And then, there was nothing Lucien could do to resist his lover. He couldn't move, he couldn't breathe as the rushes of pleasure synced up with the rushes of blood that broke in his head like powerful waves. Lucien wanted to move his arms but they were strongly held back by the thousand grass straws, as if Mundy had convinced Nature herself to help him. The Frenchman felt as if he was cuffed to the ground. His arms and legs were pinned. He had nearly no freedom to move. But the daisies' petals were waving, bending one after the other all along Lucien's skin, in sync with the waves of lust that Mundy was creating, itching his skin, sending shivers down his spine.

His breath went sporadic, his moans, loud. He was wiggling, his body tensing up more, turning left and right slightly. He knew it was his body rasing up and down and wiggling but it felt like the ground himself moved up and down, lifting his whole body under Mundy's will.

" _Mundy... Mon amour... Je..."_

_[Mundy... my love... I...]_

Mundy heard Lucien but continued. Lucien closed his eyes and frowned, he was trying to hold it back.

_"Mundy... je... aaaaargh!"_

_[Mundy... I... aaaaargh!]_

Lucien's whole body jerked up as he grasped the grass to his right and left. The straws of grass yielded, the daisies bent down and the ground shook... or did his body spasm suddenly?

He opened his eyes and breathed heavily.

"Mon... Dieu... Mundy..."

[My... God... Mundy...]

Mundy went back to lie next to his lover. He raised Lucien's head to have him rest on his arm.

" _Merci mon ange..."_

_[Thanks, my angel...]_

"No worries, I owed you as much."

"Non, you didn't... You don't owe me anything."

"Yeah I do. You're my source of happiness, the least I can do is say thanks."

Lucien turned and put his head more comfortably on Mundy's shoulder. He put his arm on Mundy's chest and stroked it. He loved the feeling of his naked body against Mundy's.

"It's the first time that I... well... had a passionate moment with someone in the grass."

"Me too, luv'..."

Miundy turned his head.

"Did you... like it?"

Lucien raised his head.

"Oui, I loved it."

Mundy smiled. A moment of silence passed.

"You remember the first night we spent together?"

"In the restaurant, after I sang for you?"

"Yeah."

"Oui I remember it very clearly, how could I forget! It was my first time with you, my first time with a man..."

"Well, it was my first time, _full stop."_

Lucien raised his head suddenly.

_**\-- Author's notes --** _

Thank you! As always, let me know what you thought about that one! :D

A big big thanks to the discord crew!

Also, don't hesitate to join us on discord if you're over 18, we have great fun :D, the server is called "Lundy's lovers"!

Usual link and in the end:

https/discord.gg/BPbVqct


	40. Chapter 40

"Well, it was my first time, _full stop."_

Lucien raised his head off Mundy's shoulder suddenly.

"Really?!"

Mundy blushed in shame.

"Sorry mon amour, I didn't mean to make you feel bad but... How is that possible? You're lovely, I can't believe noone noticed it before and gave you a chance!"

Lucien sat up. The sky was now covered in grey clouds. Lucien extended his hand and felt a few drops. Mundy was still laying on the grass. He sighed.

"Unlike you, I've never loved girls. I've tried it once, when I was a kid. But I didn't feel anything for her..."

Lucien laid back, his head on Mundy's shoulder, intertwining his leg with his and his hand on Mundy's chest.

"Then there was that bloke in highschool. Alex. And you know how it is in highschool, everyone should have feelings for someone and you should confess cause if it works, then everyone looks up to you and envies you, you feel proud. And at that time, I was that shy kid nobody really talked to. Plus, I lived very far from town so I didn't go out with the other kids on weekends and stuff like that. So, really, if Alex loved me back, I thought I'd earn some friends who I could talk to. So, foolish me went to see Alex one day and very foolish me confessed."

Mundy took Lucien's hand in his.

"After that, humiliation, shame, bullying, insults. I thanked God I lived far from them all. And I never tried my luck with anyone else for a long time. Then there were the sax playing days. I used to play in a pub in town with friends. I've met countless men and women there. None of them I've kept in touch with."

"Even those with whom you played?"

"Yeah."

"Why?"

"Well, you of all people should know how it is in a pub. It's like in the restaurant back in Paris, only it's less fancy. Guys come to find a girl, girls make sure they're easy to get... So my... uhm... _friends at that time_ used to go back home with a different girl everytime. Of course I wouldn't. The only thing I'd take back home was a hangover and a terrible headache, if I got back home at all! Often, because I had drunk a bit much, I'd sleep in my van, parked near the pub, and I'd drive back home the next day. Anyway, they started to think I was just too shy to go talk to the girls. So they tried to push me. I'd always refuse until one day."

Lucien was stroking Mundy's hand.

"We played as usual and there was this girl who insisted on going back home with me. I refused countless times but she still kept on staying by me, following me wherever I went in the pub. It was annoying. So I tried lying. I told her I was married and I can't do that to my missus... But you know how well I lie... She instantly knew I was making things up. I finally resorted to being a bit aggressive with her. That's when she finally said it. ' _Your friends paid me to...'_ well you can guess what, and she said ' _and they gave me good money, and sweetie I intend to make that money worth your time and trouble.'_ They had paid a... a..."

Mundy couln't say it. Lucien gulped and opened wide eyes.

"I'm sorry Mundy. You must have felt terrible."

The hens had all fled the rain. Lucien took Mundy's hand and put it on his cheek while he hugged him tighter, like a sponge trying to absorb all of Mundy's past sadness.

"When she said that, I dropped my beer and left. I drove back home, racing like a Ferrari, furious, I rolled down the windows, yelled at the dark night, cried and my tears flew in the night, I shouted and punched the steering wheel. Bloody hell..."

Lucien felt Mundy clench his fist. The rain had now got them fairly wet. Lucien raised his head off Mundy's shoulder and, realising that some wet locks of hair had stuck on his forehead, he delicately moved them away with his index finger. He then slided his finger to Mundy's cheek.

"And after that, no one, really?"

"I just... I mean, after highschool, I realised it was only me. I could well be the only guy in the whole of Australia who liked men as well. Some mornings I'd wake up and think I had some sort of... disease. I'd wish I could go to the doctor and he gives me some pills, a vaccine, anything, but please, for the love of God, make those feelings stop. And then I realised something."

He sat up and looked up at the grey sky, the rain dripping of his face and his shoulder, the drops running along his still naked body.

"I realised it was all up to me really. I could stop feeling anything. I could decide to just not feel anything for anyone..."

He sighed.

"C'mere."

Mundy got up, taking Lucien by the hand. He collected some of their clothes and threw them under the oak, closer to the trunk. He then sat there, his back against the trunk and motioned Lucien to sit between his legs. Lucien sat, his back against Mundy's warm and wet chest. Mundy then enlaced Lucien in his arms and kissed him on his head. Lucien closed his eyes and put his hands on Mundy's powerful arms while leaning his head on his lover's upper chest and shoulder.

"And so the years as a hunter and mercenary marksman started. I would kill animals for food and men for money. Each time I'd kill someone, there's a voice very far inside me who'd say 'One less you could have feelings for, keep it up.'."

"I'm so sorry mon amour, even though somehow, I like the way it is."

"What do you mean?"

Mundy rested his head on Lucien's wet shoulder and put his arms around him, hugging the Frenchman tightly.

"I mean that then, my first time with a man was also yours. So we shared the awkward moves and clumsiness together."

Lucien could feel Mundy's breath in his neck and as he was naked and covered in water Mundy's breath cooled his skin and sent goosebumps everywhere. Lucien liked the feeling. But Mundy noticed it.

"You cold?"

"Non, I'm perfect."

"You're getting goosebumps though."

"Who tells you I don't like it?"

Mundy smiled.

"No one, that's true. But let me heat you up..."

Mundy stroked Lucien's chest and stomach up and down, repeatedly and slowly.

"Merci mon amour, it feels amazing."

Mundy bent his head and kissed Lucien's temple. Lucien let a high-pitch moan of thanks out and closed his eyes. His chest raised up and fell down more. Mundy smiled. He put his lips next to Lucien's ear and whispered in his low, growl-like voice that Lucien couldn't resist.

_"Lucien... Je t'aime... Je t'aime tellement..."_

[ _Lucien... I love you... I love you so much...]_

Lucien rolled his eyes up.

_"Laisse-toi aller, je suis là pour toi."_

_[Let yourself go, I'm here for you.]_

And Lucien obeyed. He let Mundy massage him as he pleased under the rain that what nonethless passing through the big oak's foliage. Each droplet of rain when it collapsed on his body, tickled his skin and Mundy's hands were a delight. They were rough and callous which brushed the Frenchman's skin perfectly for him. If heaven existed, that was certainly what it felt like. They were alone for miles and miles, the rain was pouring and he was in his lover's strong and safe arms.

" _Je vois que tu apprécies..."_

_[I see you're enjoying yourself...]_

Lucien opened his eyes and blushed.

"Sorry mon amour... I... Your touch..."

Mundy smiled and whispered.

_"Ne t'excuse pas, c'est parfait. J'adore te voir comme ça."_

_[Don't apologise, it's perfect. I love seeing you like that.]_

Lucien was on another planet, a far away one, with only Mundy with him. He lost his mind, his thoughts, his breath, under Mundy's hand.

{To the reader, I recommend you listen to Michel Fugain's " _Fais comme l'oiseau"_ to get the mood here!}

_"Fais comme l'oiseau"_

_[Like birds]_

Lucien's eyes flashed opened and he turned to Mundy who was singing.

_"Ça vit d'air pur et d'eau fraîche, un oiseau_

_[Live off pure air and fresh water, bird]_

_D'un peu de chasse et de pêche, un oiseau_

_[Off a bit of hunting and fishing, bird]_

_Mais jamais rien ne l'empêche, l'oiseau._

_[But nothing prevents him, the bird]_

_D'aller plus haut!"_

_[From flying higher!]_

Lucien sat up and turned to Mundy, taking his hands, he continued.

_"_ _Mais je suis seul dans l'univers_

_[But I am alone in the universe]_

_J'ai peur du ciel et de l'hiver"_

_[I am afraid of the sky and of the winter]_

Lucien grabbed his nearby soaked shorts and put them on, along with his shirt that he couldn't close anymore, as the buttons had been torn away by Mundy earlier. He handed Mundy's pair to him and the Australian, swinging his head right and left in rythm with the song, got dressed.

_"J'ai peur des fous et de la guerre_

_[I am afraid of madmen and of the war]_

_J'ai peur du temps qui passe, dis"_

_[I dread the time flying by, tell me]_

Lucien stood up and took Mundy's hand in his. He pulled on them and raised the Australian off the ground.

_Comment peut-on vivre aujourd'hui ?"_

_[How can we live today?]_

He took him out of the oak's cover, under the pouring rain. A white flash. _A lightning bolt_ , thought Mundy. Lucien lead the dance, making Mundy swing and spin. They looked at each other. Utter fools. Complete mad men. Both soaked to the bone, both in shorts, one half naked, the other one in an open shirt, all their clothes and their hair ruined by the weather which had decided to turn grey and rainy. But they were having the time of their lives, dancing in the middle of an open field, far from the house, far from the rest of humanity, on the ridiculously remote island of Australia.

Lucien's naked feet moved swiftly and in a very agile fashion, despite the ground changing from the earlier grass to a slightly muddy ground. He opened his arms and spun, sending trickles of water flying from his elegant svelte silhouette, jumping and spinning under the rain, as if he was taming the god-sent water.

Mundy had never seen him dance that well and that freely. He was in awe and let him lead. He was sent spinning like a film reel and unrolling before his eyes was the grey of the sky mixing with the green of the ground and the white flashes of the occasional lightning bolts, punctuated by Lucien's blurry silhouette, his black hair and shorts standing out of his darker beige skin tone.

_"Fais comme l'oiseau"_

_[Like birds]_

Lucien started singing again.

" _Ça vit d'air pur et d'eau fraîche, un oiseau"_

_[It lives off pure air and fresh water, a bird]_

Mundy joined in the singing and both men were singing their lungs out while dancing under the pouring rain.

" _D'un peu de chasse et de pêche, un oiseau!_

_[Off a bit of hunting and fishing, a bird]_

_Mais jamais rien ne l'empêche, l'oiseau!_

_[But nothing prevents him, the bird]_

_D'aller plus haut!_ "

_From flying higher!]_

They had finished the song and burst out laughing. Mundy pulled on Lucien's hand and he spun round and round to end up in his arms. Mundy quickly swept him off the ground, carrying him and walking back home, the lightning bolts shining brightly left and right, the thunder growling powerfully behind them as if Nature herself helped to make that afternoon unforgettable.

_\-- Half an hour later --_

"I'm in the kitchen, mon amour!"

"How did you..?"

Mundy's head popped out the door frame. He had let Lucien go first for the shower and had now finished.

"How did you know I was looking for you?!"

Mundy entered.

"The sound of your feet on the floor and the doors opening and closing."

"Ah, fair enough... So what are you up to?"

"I prepared some... uh.. Achoo!"

Mundy smiled. Lucien's sneezes were adorably high pitched, almost feminine.

"Aw, you poor thing, someone caught a cold after our afternoon outs-chaah!"

Mundy's sneezes on the other hand sounded like what a caveman's should have been like back in those days...

"Ha! Who's the poor thing now?"

Mundy looked at Lucien and his face was saying "alroight, alroight...".

"As I was saying, I prepared some coffee."

"Oh, nice."

"We could try your mother's cake, to go with the coffee."

"Ah but that's not how it works luv'. You've got to deserve the cake."

"What?!"

Mundy came behind Lucien and put his head on his shoulder.

"You gotta behave to get the cake..."

"Did I not? I behaved and I even made some coffee!"

"You forgot something..."

Lucien turned to face Mundy who blocked his way away from the counter. He was towering him, smirking.

"Ah, I see."

He pushed himself to the tip of his toes and kissed Mundy's lips delicately.

"Go to the living room with the coffee now, will ya?"

"Fine."

Mundy brought the two slices of cake to the living room and found Lucien on the sofa, in front of the fireplace. He hadn't lit a fire as despite the rain, it was quite warm.

"Here, have a go at that, it's her chocolate cake. It's amazing!"

Mundy sat down on the sofa next to Lucien. The two steaming coffee cups were on the coffee table. Lucien took a bite.

"Mmh! The cake wasn't a lie and it is amazing!"

Mundy smiled.

"Told you!"

They quickly ate their slices of cake and were now sipping their coffee.

"Do you think you parents will be much longer?"

"I reckon an hour or so... By the way, I didn't know you could dance and by God, your moves!"

Lucien raised an proud eyebrow and smirked.

"I didn't know you knew Michel Fugain and his songs!"

"We have a radio at the zoo, that's where I heard it... But don't change the subject here! You dance so... perfectly!"

"I can teach you if you want."

"You were so quick and light on your feet, it looked like you were hovering on the ground!"

Lucien laughed.

"Merci mon amour."

"When did you learn?"

"I can't even remember. I had to learn so many things..."

"You _had to?"_

"Oui, that's part of the training to become a spy. We had to be able to learn anything as quickly as possible and believe me, it is a skill."

"Oh, I don't doubt that..."

Lucien put his cup back on the coffee table and moved closer to Mundy. He snuggled up against him.

"So what else did you learn?"

"Uhm... Let me think... How to handle weapons, mount them, dismantle them, some basic repairs, how to fight, fists, feet and any body part you could think of using..."

"Nah I meant, skills like dancing, what else do you know?"

"Uhm... Languages, I know a few of them."

"Oh, which ones?"

Lucien counted them on his fingers.

"Well, obviously French, English, uhm... Spanish, Arabic..."

"Arabic?!"

"Oui, France had a lot of colonies in Northern Africa and I was sent there a couple of times."

"Oh, wow..."

"... Italian I can understand but I'm not very good at speaking it. And I know bits of German, Dutch and Russian."

"Bits?"

"A couple sentences, here and there. Although my Russian has improved during my days in Mann Co."

"Oh?"

"Remember when Mikhail first joined? His English was, well, limited. He could understand it perfectly but he had a hard time replying. So I helped him with that, in exchange of which, he helped me with Russian."

"You really did that?!"

"Oui, why do you sound so surprised?"

"Because I had no bloody idea!"

"Well to be fair, you used to live locked up in your van. So it's only logical that you have no idea what was happening in the base."

Mundy put his cup on the coffee table.

"Yeah, fair enough, but still... I'm surprised. No offense but I would have never thought you were friends with Mikhail."

"And I was not. I was just helping because it was needed and I was the only one who could. We needed him to be able to communicate with the rest of the team and I was the only one who understood a bit of Russian."

"Oh."

"When he felt comfortable in English, we stopped seing each other."

Lucien leant his head on Mundy's shoulder. He was hugging his arm.

"Also because he had his lessons from Medic."

"Why would he turn to Ludwig more than you?"

"For the same reason that we are living together now."

"What?! They were...?!"

Lucien sat up and straightened his back.

"Mon Dieu, you really need to get out of your van sometimes!"

"Naah c'mon, it can't be true!"

"I tell you it was- Achoo!"

Lucien got a handkerchief out. Mundy laughed.

"Why are you laughing?!"

"Your sneeze."

"What about it?"

Mundy wrapped his arm around Lucien, pulling him close. He bent just enough that his lips were right next to Lucien's ear.

" _C'est irrésistible."_

[It is irresistible.]

Lucien blushed. He put his handkerchief back in his pocket and held Mundy's arm in his.

_**\-- Author's notes --** _

Thanks y'all!

Let me know what you think of this one :D!

See y'all for Chapter 41!


	41. Chapter 41

"Achoo!"

"You're too cute for my own good."

Mundy kissed Lucien's forehead and the Frenchman blushed. He put his handkerchief back in his pocket and held Mundy's arm in his. They stayed like that for a while, appreciating each other's company, each other's presence. Mundy deeply liked how the both of them could enjoy the silence sometimes. None of them needed to occupy the silence with unnecessary chat. No, they could and they were just enjoying their time together, in silence. The rain drops hitting on the windows and the roof made a lovely white noise.

"I will be right back."

Lucien, who was sat with his legs folded up, his knees under his chin, unwrapped his thing, long legs and got off the sofa like a cat. His feet touched the ground noiselessly, dilating slightly like a cat's paws when they touched the ground. He went away and came back with a notepad and a pen. He sat back next to Mundy, cross-legged, and started writing.

The Australian didn't pay attention to it at first. He had leaned his head back on the sofa and was resting. Lucien wrote and scratched repeatedly, whispering to hismelf and groaning from time to time. But then, the groaning vanished and it was only the fountain pen lightly scratching the paper as it glided on it and the dark blue ink absorbed in the fibers of the paper. It lasted for a bit of time, where, for Mundy who had closed his eyes, the sound of the rain drops hitting the glass windows mingled with Lucien's writing. It gave him the impression that Lucien was writing on his notepad using the rain as his ink. Mundy smiled, his eyes still closed. He enjoyed the poetry of the moment.

"I know there is no name,

No excuse, it's no game,"

Mundy opened his eyes. Lucien was reading a poem?

"To this thing we keep

And it seems like a leap,

I don't have the right

To ask where you go at night

But all the waves hit my head

To think someone's in your bed!"

_No, he is singing_.

Mundy turned his head and looked at Lucien. He clicked his fingers in rythm.

"Et je deviendrai la personne,

[And I will become that person]

Don't want you to get it on

With nobody else but me

Tu es bien plus qu'un ami!"

[You are much more than just a friend]

Lucien was now swinging his head left to right, back and forth.

"I take drinks at the bar

As if I had lost the world war.

Oh, I need a break

From the evenness I fake."

Lucien took the notepad off his lap and stood up, facing Mundy, his eyes still on his notes.

"It's a damn cruel world

Cause I don't really want you girl

But you can't be free

Cause I'm selfish, I'm obscene!

Oh, I want to make up my mind

But I don't know myself,

No, I don't know myself"

He threw the notepad on the sofa and knelt on the ground between Mundy's legs, looked up at Mundy in the eye. He put the back of his index finger on Mundy's cheek and stroked it.

"But I found my way

To the sideburns on your cheek.

I did turn the scope away

To get just what I seek.

At first I did wonder

If you had that voice inside,

That yearning which lingers,

That deeply down hidden vice,

But when your lips touched mine,

And as I crossed the line,

I knew.

And up my heart blew."

He stopped singing abruptly. His finger froze under Mundy's chin. He had big wide open eyes and his jaw was stuck half open. Mundy looked at him with question marks in his eyes.

"Have you just sung about...?"

Lucien couldn't answer. He went red as a brick and removed his finger from under Mundy's chin quickly, putting his right hand in his left, and clenching them on his chest.

"C'mere."

Mundy took Lucien by the hands and pulled him to sit between his legs on the sofa. Lucien felt safe in Mundy's arms, feeling his warmth and that lingering, cheap cologne that he now was addicted to. He closed his eyes and frowned.

"Tell me, Lu."

Still, silence.

_Oh, I know how I'm going to make him open up._

"Mon amour, dis-moi."

[My love, tell me.]

Lucien took a deep breath. He put a hand on Mundy's chest.

"I... I always thought I would one day write a song about me, what I've been through."

Mundy was hugging him tightly, giving his lover all the strength and comfort he could.

"I'd never thought it would be in English. And I had never thought I would manage to do it."

He sighed.

"I will sound ridiculous but I feel naked now. I wouldn't be able to sing that to anyone but you, Mundy."

Mundy took Lucien's hand in his.

"You don't have to."

"I also think that it sounds very awkward, I mean the text is very poor. I can't write rhymes in English as well as in French."

"So why have you written it in English?"

Lucien turned to face Mundy.

"For you."

Mundy smiled. As Lucien said those words, Mundy felt the warmth of a soft flame in his chest.

"Thank you."

He left a kiss on the Frenchman's forehead, who buried his head in his chest. Mundy let his lips on top of Lucien's head.

Thunder struck.

Lucien raised his head and looked at Mundy in the eye.

"One day I will write a poem for you. It will be in French and I will sing it for you. But not just now, I can't. It's too..."

"Strong?"

"Oui."

"Don't worry. You do as you want. If you feel like it, do it. If not, don't. I love you anyway."

Lucien frowned.

"But I will have to do it. And the sooner, the better."

"Wait, you can take your time, nobody's running after you."

"Non. Time itself is running after me."

Mundy looked at Lucien's eyes and he saw it again. It already had seen it, that deep fear that Lucien had. The fear of dying before having spent as much time as he wanted doing the things he liked. The fear of dying before having spent a substantial amount of time with his son, catching up with him, caring for him. The fear of getting separated from Mundy by forces that he could not compete with.

Mundy put his hands on Lucien's cheek and looked him dead in the eye.

"Lu', you have all the time in the world. I will never ever leave you. I need you too much to just let you go anywhere without me."

"But-"

"No buts. Screw time, screw death, screw everything. I love you Lucien, I _bloody_ love you."

Hearing the determination in Mundy's voice calmed Lucien down. The touch of Mundy's hands on his cheeks was harsh but it efficiently accompanied his words. Lucien closed his eyes.

"Kiss me, please."

_You don't have to ask twice._

Mundy pulled Lucien's face closer and locked his lips on the Frenchman's. He felt his stomach warm up and the flame went up to his chest, stroking the heart of the love he had for the Frenchman with its fiery tongue.

Lucien broke the kiss. He looked at Mundy with loving eyes, half closed.

" _Je t'aime tellement..."_

[I love you so much.]

Mundy smiled. But suddenly Lucien jumped off the couch, got the plates that contained the slices of cake and went to the kitchen. Mundy got confused until...

"Hello boys, we're back home!"

"Oh, hey mum! Dad, oh, let me help."

Mike and Caroline were back from the city market and had bought some groceries with them. Mundy went to help them with the bags but before, Caroline pushed herself on the tip of her toes and kissed Mundy's cheek.

"How was it?"

"Good, good. We sold a bit less than usual though."

"Is that because of the-ACHAAAH!"

"Bless you, sweetie. Yes, it was because of the rain."

Lucien emerged from the kitchen, a tea towel on his shoulder.

"Good afternoon, Mike, Caroline."

He bowed elegantly.

"Hello sweetie, c'mere."

Caroline had opened her arms. Lucien walked up to her, intrigued. She pushed herself to the tip of her toes again and kissed on the cheek. His face went red and his ears went hot.

"Ah... Uhm... Thanks... Uh..."

"So what have you been up to boys?"

Mundy left his father in the kitchen alone to sort out the groceries and joined Lucien and Caroline on the sofa.

"Ah, Micky. You've been up to much here?"

Mundy went red, thinking back at the afternoon he spent in the fields with Lucien, under the rain.

"Not much, though we have greatly appreciated your cake, Caroline. It was truly delicious!"

Lucien had jumped in the conversation to help his lover out. He had seen the red on his cheeks and immediately understood why he was uncomfortable...

"Aw, thank you. It's a very easy recipe. I used to make that cake quite often for Micky when he was a young boy."

"Is it too much to ask for the recipe?"

"Oh, Lucien, I would never give away that recipe! It's a family secret! My mother used to make cake like these and she taught me how to do it. Her mother had taught her before!"

"Oh, I apologise, sorry."

Lucien lowered his head. He respected the fact that Caroline wanted to keep her recipe a secret despite his eagerness to learn how to make it for Mundy. Silence fell for a couple seconds before Lucien saw and felt a finger under his chin, raising his head up. It was Caroline.

"Lucien, I'm joking! I'll teach you how to make it so that you can bake it for my Micky...!"

Lucien's face brightened and his eyes cleared like the sky under the wind, his light-blue almost grey iris sparkling with joy.

"...And for my grandson!"

Lucien opened wide eyes.

"Mum!"

"What?! You have a son, right, Lucien?"

Lucien was taken aback, he had not anticipated that!

"Uhm, yes, yes I do."

Caroline put her hands on Lucien's thigh.

"Tell me about him! He's my grandson after all, do you have pictures of him? I want to know everything about him!"

Lucien coughed a bit, out of surprised and cleared his throat. He turned to Mundy.

"Do you mind going to my suitcase and getting the large book I have there please?"

Mundy raised a surprised eyebrow but nodded and jumped out of the sofa to get what Lucien asked for.

"So, what's his name?"

"Jérémy."

"Oh, that's a lovely name, Jeremy!"

Lucien smiled. Caroline had pronounced it in the exact same way as Mundy.

"His mother is American and we had agreed to give our child a name that worked both in English and in French."

"Good idea! How old is he? What's his story?"

Lucien smiled again, he blushed slightly.

"Oh sorry if I'm assaulting you with all these questions but I really want to know him."

"I really appreciate that, Caroline, I really do."

"Well, it's only normal! He's family, you're family."

Lucien's face brightened up again, he could not find the words to express how grateful he was to Caroline for accepting him and Jérémy.

"So, oui, uhm, he is in his late twenties now and his story is quite a sad one I'm afraid."

Caroline adjusted her glasses and pushed herself at the back of the sofa. She squinted her eyes to fully focus on Lucien's speech, putting her hands flat on her lap, waiting for the story. And the Frenchman told her about the circumstances around Jérémy's birth, his separation with his mother, him coming back to try and see him... Everything until the Mann Co. days. Caroline kept silent for the whole speech, only nodding slightly and slowly from time to time. Mundy had come back with what Lucien wanted. He sat next to Lucien. Mike joined in shortly and sat at Caroline's right, at the end of the sofa. None of them interrupted Lucien's speech. Of course Mundy knew the story so Lucien thought it might be boring for him to listen to it again. But while doing it, Lucien's eyes went from Caroline's face, to Mike's and Mundy's. He read very different emotions.

Caroline showed interest, even more than that, she showed empathy. She was trying to put herself in Jeremy's shoes and in Lucien's as well. Mike knew the story. But Lucien nevertheless paid attention to what his face would betray of his emotions. What he read surprised him. He did not seem bored at all. It was as if the old man was discovering the story again. Lucien was delighted. Mike was really giving him a chance at being part of the family. Finally he looked at Mundy.

Anxious? Why is he worried-oh...

Mundy's eyes were bouncing from his mother's face to his father's. He was doing exactly the same as Lucien, only less subtly. One could think that Lucien was looking at both of them, just out of politeness and respect. _Look whoever you're talking to in the eye._ But of course, the skilled spy was reading their emotions. His eyes were like some bright beam of sunlight diving deeply, bringing light as they descended the depths fathom by fathom in the ocean that is their souls. Reaching the bottom, he read the waves on the sand and the slight twitch of the wrinkles of their faces, seeing their souls slowly change shape and colour as they went through a wide spectrum of emotions.

_You shouldn't be anxious, mon amour, quite the opposite. Your parents are paying attention,_ _they do care._

Unfortunately, if Lucien could read his lover's thoughts, the other way around was far from true. But Lucien tried to make Mundy calm down, nodding and closing his eyes slightly when their eyes met, as if to say:

_I have everything under control and it's going well, don't worry._

But to no avail. And Lucien saw a drop of sweat on Mundy's brow. He was still telling the tale of Jérémy and arrived to that first contact with Mundy which was quite unfortunate.

_Très bien, I will do something that will soothe him for sure, but hopefully his parents won't react badly._

"And that's when Mundy..."

Lucien put his hand on Mundy's and stroked it with his thumb. Mundy gasped silently, went red as a brick, his ears went red as well and burnt. Mundy lowered his head and hunched his back slightly. He hoped he could be a tiny mouse. He didn't want to see his parents reaction.

"...picked up the phone, he quickly understood I had a son but I hadn't told him. And that was my last secret to him. The last of the best French spy's secret for... well..."

Lucien turned to look at Mundy. He was staring at his shoes. With his other hand, he put an index under Mundy's chin and raised it up. Mundy now had to face his parents look. He raised his head, still looking down but finally, his eyes rose up, slowly. What he saw and heard made his heart warm up.

"... his soulmate."

Caroline was leaning on Mike's shoulder and they were holding hands. Her cheeks were pink and she wore a smile. His father was also smiling, moved by Lucien's words as well as the delicateness and tenderness of his gestures.

"Now, Mundy, you brought the album? Ah, thanks. Look here."

Lucien put the album on his lap. He curled an arm around Mundy's waist and pulled him close. The Australian, seeing that his parents reacted positively to Lucien's show of affection, relaxed and leaned his head on Lucien's. The Frenchman opened the photo album. The first pictures were black and white. They showed Lucien as a teenager and young adult.

"You don't have any pictures of you younger?"

Lucien shook his head.

"Non, they're at home, if they still exist at all."

He flipped the pages, describing the context in which all of them where taken. Through the book, the young boy became a man, his hair growing more stylish, his jawline growing sharper, his eyes, lighter. He went from rough, washed out and worn out clothes to suits, and custom-made ones at that. The photographs got colours now and he was posing in the 4 corners of the world, flat countryside villages, busy city centres, with tall sky-scrapers behind him in America, the Eiffel tower in Paris, the pyramids of Egypt, the Tower of Pisa, the Kremlin in Moscow... And then, without transition.

"Oh but that's us the day the eggs hatched!"

Lucien smiled.

"Rememeber that camera you had to take pictures of the hatching eggs? Well, I took a couple more without you realising it. After all,..."

Lucien raised his eyes, slowly, lovingly, at Mundy. He blinked slowly. Mundy's pupils dilated and he looked like a kitten again.

"...that's when Lucien Junior was born!"

"Who's that?" Mike asked.

Lucien flipped the page.

"That's him!"

Mike got closer and squinted his eyes to see better.

"Oh that's a baby falco! Congrats boys!"

Mundy smiled to his father.

"Yeah, just before coming here the eggs hatched. I left them in good care, with one of the kids Lu's mum is taking care of. I taught him a bit, he should be fine."

"You really integrated completely in France, it's incredible!"

"Oh?"

Caroline adjusted her glasses.

"Look at you, Micky! You have a companion, a kid, a job, and you are family for your companion's family! Also, we haven't really heard you but I'm sure you speak very good French!"

"He'd better!"

Said Lucien, winking and smiling.

"But you are right Caroline, Mundy is very fluent, he learnt terribly fast, _n'est-ce pas mon amour?"_

[Isn't it, my love?]

Mundy blushed and smiled.

"Don't be shy, Micky, you can answer back in French!"

"Uhm, _oui, j'ai appris vite parce que j'ai appris du meilleur et avec la meilleure motivation qui soit."_

[Yes, I learnt fast because I learnt from the best and with the best motivation there could be.]

"I have no idea what you just said son but crickey! That sounded amazing!"

Mike extended his hand and Mundy shook his hand, slapping it. Father and son smiled at each other.

"Alroght, I'd better go and prepare some dinner, boys."

Caroline got off the sofa and went to the kitchen. Mike turned to Lucien.

"You know how Jeremy is doing? He could come and join you if he wanted."

"Thank you very much Mike, it is very kind of you. And now that I think about it, I haven't called him since I arrived."

"You should give him a call, son."

Lucien frowned.

"I should indeed."

"Come with me."

Mundy took Lucien outside, to his van.

"Here's the phone. I'll be home, waiting for you. Take your time."

Lucien smiled.

"Merci mon amour."

Mundy turned on his heels but Lucien quickly wrapped a hand around his neck, making the Australian turn to face him again, and kissed him slowly at first, but passionately. A minute after, Mundy exited the van, leaving Lucien alone, in front of the phone.

_**\-- Author's notes --** _

Thanks y'all for reading and sorry for the delay, work got in the way this last week!

Mega thanks for the discord crew, withoit whom I would have stopped writing this ages ago!

The song was inspired by "Genghis Khan" by Miike Snow.

See y'all around for 42!


	42. Chapter 42

Lucien went to take the phone. He dialed his number back in France and leaned on the counter. He held the phone between his shoulder and his cheek to light a cigarette.

_Beep..._

He puffed on it.

_Beep... Beeep..._

"Hello?"

He held the phone in his left hand and the cigarette in the right one.

"Jérémy?"

"Pa'? Hey! How you doin'?"

Lucien smiled.

"I am great, thanks."

"How is it going with Mundy's parents?"

"Very well. It was hard at first, but now they've uhm... They've accepted it."

"Really?"

"Oui, oui."

"Oh... Good! Congrats I guess!"

"Merci, mon fils. I wanted to call you to see how things were with you. Not too bored?"

"Uhm, no, no. Actually I've spent most of my time with Mama France's kids. They're a lovely bunch! Also I've started working at the restaurant."

"Oh, how do you find it there?"

"Very cool! Lot's a work, very busy. Also, I need to be better at French so uhm.. I uh... I asked Mélanie to help me. I had to, cause uh... You aren't here to teach me and uh... I can't talk with the clients..."

Jérémy was red as a brick but Lucien smirked.

"Ah, and how id it going with her, mh?"

Jérémy tripped on his own words.

"Well, I, uh... I mean... I uh..."

Lucien nodded to himself.

_He is working on it but has absolutely no clue about what she feels. Ah, I should really have given you more advice._

"If I can give you any advice, mon fils..."

Jérémy listened carefully.

"Be yourself and please don't make the same mistake I did."

"Oh?"

"If you love someone, be honest with them."

Silence fell for a minute. Jérémy was deep in thought. He loved Mélanie, of that he was sure. And indeed, the only reason why his parents were not together anymore, was because his father hid very important things from his mother. He would nlt repeat that mistake, no, he would never do that.

"So, about the French classes, are you fluent yet?"

Judging by the long silence, Lucien was sure that Jérémy understood him. He also guessed that he got the underlying idea that he was trying to tell his son not to reproduce his past mistakes. Jérémy got taken aback by his father's question but answered it.

"Oh Lord, nah, not yet, far from it! And it really seems like it's gonna take me forever! How did you manage to learn English?"

Lucien laughed.

"Same as you're learning French now, _with a love interest._ "

Jérémy blushed and from the other side of the planet, Lucien knew it as if he could see it.

"It will come, be patient. How is Marie-France?"

"Good, actually! She's here in the flat with me!"

"What?! What is she doing there?!"

Lucien heard some noise and then:

"Lulu, I was forced to come, your son doesn't know how to cook anything edible!"

Lucien could hear Jérémy in the background.

"Hey! My mac'n'cheese is the absolute best!"

"Maybe but it's still not edible, I can't possibly know how your stomach can process it... So yes, sorry Lulu but I had to step in."

"No worries, I understand, American food is not the best there is."

"Pa'! I can still hear you!"

Lucien chuckled.

"How is it in Paris?"

"Good, the kids really love Jérémy. You'd be surprised how good he is with them. Actually, quite like you."

"Oh?"

Jérémy left and went to the living room. Marie-France switched to French.

"Oui, he is very patient with them. He can spend hours with them without breaking a sweat! Also, he taught them baseball and now they regularly play all together."

Lucien smiled, both moved and proud.

"Also they all know how to make weird faces, move their eyebrows and their ears like monkeys and frankly, Lulu, I don't know what to think about that."

Lucien laughed.

"Well, I guess it's good, they're having fun. Maman, how is it going with the Mélanie business?"

"Oh, Lulu! I told you already to not get involved in it!"

"Oui but I'm curious, please."

"Non, he will tell you if he wants to, I'm not saying anything! Besides, I'm sure you already have your idea."

Lucien smiled.

"Indeed, I do."

"Don't get involved in it, Lucien! I forbid you!"

"Right, fine, I won't do anything."

"Promise it."

"I promise."

There was a second of silence.

"Lucien...?"

"Oui?"

"Don't cross your fingers behind your back!"

Lucien opened wide eyes.

"How did you-?! Uh, fine, I really promise."

"Good."

"Uhm, can I ask you something, Maman?"

"Of course, what have you messed up this time?"

"Nothing yet, though it is exactly why I wanted to talk to you."

The phone call lasted for another hour. Jérémy was watching TV the whole time. At some point he looked at the clock.

_Oh, better get going or I'll be late._

He switched the TV off and jumped out of the couch. He grabbed his copybook and a pen, and went to see Marie-France who was still in the kitchen, on the phone. He pointed at the door and waved his hand as if to say goodbye. She nodded and waved back.

A couple minutes afterwards, Jérémy was walking in the streets of Paris. The sun was still shining brightly. It was now August and the heat was suffocating sometimes. But he didn't care. All his thoughts were focused on the few French verbs and expressions that he had to remember for his next lesson with Mélanie. He smiled, without realising it and soon found himself in front of the restaurant where they were meeting for the lessons. Étienne agreed to have their table always booked for them.

_Alright, let's go._

Jérémy pushed the door and entered.

"Bonjour Jérémy!"

"Hey Étienne! Has she arrived yet?"

"Not yet I'm afraid."

"Oh..."

Jérémy looled disappointed as well as a bit worried.

"You're table is free though, you can wait there. Shall I bring you the usual?"

"Uh, yes please."

The young man went and sat at _their_ table.

_I hope she'll arrive soon... I mean, I hope she hasn't had enough of it... Maybe she has, maybe I'm a very slow learner... Maybe I'm just dumb..._

He was fiddling with his fingers when Étienne arrived with his coke. Jérémy thanked him.

"She will arrive I'm sure, don't worry."

And Étienne went back to the counter. Jérémy looked around him, he could only see happy couples sharing drinks. And it seemed that the chair he was sitting on was very uncomfortable, wobbly on its feet, the coke was too acidic and sweet at the same time and the air was too hot and asphyxiating... He looked down at his glass and locked his eyes on the stream bubbles of the cola. They were rising up, growing bigger and arriving at the top, popped up and the tiny explosion resonated in Jérémy's skull like the explosion of a firework.

"Bonjour Jérémy!"

He raised his head and his eyes.

"Oh hey!"

His face brightened. The bubbles deafened, the air was cool, the coke refreshing and the chair could not be more comfortable.

"Sorry for the delay, I got held back at the zoo."

Mélanie pulled a chair and sat in front of Jérémy.

"I had to help George with the baby birds."

"No problem! I was just uhm... revising and waing for you, not a big deal!"

"Oh, bien! Are you ready for today's lesson?"

"Hell yeah!"

"Très bien, let's go!"

Jérémy wanted to learn French to be able to understand the clients. So Mélanie's job was mainly to teach him the vocabulary linked with the restaurant and the usual sentences that he would want to say. But of course, those French lessons were a way for Jérémy to see her frequently. He had thought that he had to be slow learner to make those lessons last for as long as he could. But he soon realised that he was learning very easily with her and he loved seeing her face brighten when he could make a sentence or two on his own.

"Ah, you see! I knew she would come, no need to worry! May I get you the usual, Mélanie?"

Étienne had come at the table and Jérémy went red as a brick.

"Oh, yes please Étienne, merci beaucoup!"

Étienne went away and Mélanie looked at Jérémy, raising an eyebrow.

"You were worried?"

"Uh..."

"I thought you were fine?"

Jérémy lowered his head.

"Jérémy?"

Mélanie was speaking with a very soft voice.

"Tell me, what's on your mind?"

The young man sighed.

"I... I thought you wouldn't come. I mean usually you're the one who arrives before me so I thought maybe you just didn't want to see me anymore or something..."

Mélanie tilted her head on the side and smiled. She pushed a lock of hair behind her ear.

"Why wouldn't I want to see you anymore?"

Étienne re-appeared. He put Mélanie's lemonade on the table and left.

"I-... Cause I'm learning too slowly, I'm dumb... I'm also very awkward and not worth much... I mean look at you! You speak at least 2 languages fluently, you have a proper job, you know lots of stuff! And me? Well... I'm just... I'm just there."

"Jérémy. Have you ever wondered why I always arrive before you at the restaurant?"

Jérémy raised his head and looked at Mélanie with question marks in his eyes.

_Wait, is she... blushing?!_

"No... No, I haven't."

"Ah, ok... Well, nevermind... But no, I uh... _like_ teaching you French. And you're far from being dumb! Look, learning a new language takes some time. I have spent my entire time at school having English as a second language and you've only had a few years of French at school but now you're making huge progress, Jérémy..."

She slided her hands on the table and held Jérémy's hand in hers. Feeling the warmth of her hands he turned red as a brick and lowered his head, staring at the floor, to try and hide it. She sighed.

"If I come early is because I look forward to it... I look forward to..."

Jérémy raised his head slowly. His hands were sweating.

"... seeing you."

He wanted to answer something. He wanted to say it. But something was holding him back. Silence fell and Mélanie, seeing that Jérémy was petrified, removed her hands. As the young man felt her hands sliding away, he remembered his father's words.

_Be honest._

He suddenly grabbed her hand and lifted his head up.

"Me too. I..."

She opened wide, surprised eyes. He regretted it already.

"I mean I _like_ spending time with you... And thank you."

"What for? The French lessons?"

"Yeah, and the rest. Thanks for being... my _friend?_ "

She smiled and slided her finger between Jérémy's. He opened wide eyes. She chuckled.

"Uh... Why are you laughing?"

She blushed.

"You're going to find this ridiculous..."

"Nah, go on, tell me!"

"The way you opened your eyes, very wide..."

He looked confused.

"You looked like one of my panther cubs from back at the zoo!"

He smiled.

"Well, can your cubs move their ears like that...? Look...!"

She burst out laughing.

"Oh mon Dieu! How do you do it?!"

He laughed.

"C'mon, try it...! Hahahaha! You're getting it wrong! You're moving your eyebrows! Wait, let me help..."

He got closer to her, his head half way through, above the restaurant table.

"Look, it's there, that's what you need to move! No, nope, you're still getting it wrong!"

"Oh! I'll never manage to do it!"

"Nah you will! Even kids can do it! C'mere..."

She got closer, he put his in index between her temples and her ears.

"That's what's moving. See?"

Their faces were only a couple inches apart and Jérémy could see his own reflection in her turquoise eyes. Jérémy's eyes went blind to everything around them. She half closed her eyes and her gaze went down. Jérémy felt it...

_Oh Jeez._

She had slided her other hand in his.

_Okay, okay, okay._

She closed half the gap between them. Her pupils dilated.

_Oh fu-!_

Something knocked his chair, pushing him forward and his lips collapsed on Mélanie's. Part of him was panicked. He needed to break the kiss and apologise, he was not the one diving in! But most of him was just enjoying it too much to make it stop. He closed his eyes. She could break the kiss at any moment, she could withdraw her face, she could slap his across the face. He was happy. His stomach was buzzing and the rush of blood to his head washed away any worries he had.

_She's not breaking the kiss?_

He opened one eye as subtly as he could and saw that she was also closing her eyes. He removed his hand from hers and put it on her cheek.

From the counter, Étienne was looking at them and smirked.

_Des fois, l'amour ça ne tient qu'à une chaise bancale et un bon coup de pied._

_[Sometimes, love is only a wobbly chair and a good kick away.]_

**_\-- Author's notes --_ **

Thanks for reading! :D

Let me know what you think of this one! :D

\- Also, if you're interested, I have a discord server for old enough folks where we disscuss the progress of this story and gather as Lucien/Mundy enthusiasts, so please do join us :D

Usual link and in the end: /BPbVqct

\- My good friend Crows opened a discord for folks who write tf2 fanfics, feel free to join to get the updates and some help if you want :D

Usual link and in the end: /3WdDfBV

Special thanks to the discord crew :D!


	43. Chapter 43

"Aren't you a bit cold? I can feel you shivering."

"Well I guess a blanket won't hurt..."

"Ok, give me a minute."

The evening was cool. Mundy had driven his lover to what would Lucien describe as "the middle of nowhere." They were indeed alone for miles around which, despite the vastness of land around them, couldn't make them feel more intimately close and far from strangers' eyes. They were sitting on some rugs and bed covers that Mundy had laid down on the van's roof as the metal was quite cold and uncomfortable. He had also put a small lamp behind them so that they could at least see a little in the dark.

Mundy went down the ladder on the side of his van and left Lucien on the roof. He entered, took a blanket and climbed back up.

"Here, let me cover you, luv'."

Mundy wrapped Lucien and sat next to him.

"Aren't _you_ cold?"

"Nah, I'm fine."

Lucien looked at Mundy. He was sitting with his knees up, wrapping his arms around them. Lucien rolled his eyes up.

_Of course you're cold but you don't want to tell me..._

The Frenchman undid the roll of cover he was wrapped in and threw the duvet on Mundy and him.

"Oh?"

"You _are_ cold, mon amour."

Mundy smiled.

"Thanks."

They snuggled closer to each other and looked at the horizon.

"You have rubbed off on me, Mundy."

"Oh... What do you mean?"

"I've grown sensitive with you."

"Is it... a bad thing?"

"I thought it was."

Lucien paused.

"But I was wrong. It is a wonderful thing, thank you."

Mundy was a bit surprised.

"Uh... You're welcome I guess but I have no idea what you mean still and I don't understand how I have anything to do with it."

"That song about us. I wrote it in one go and I was singing it, I could feel my throat going tighter, shrinking almost..."

"As if you wanted to... cry?"

Lucien could not admit it with words so he just lowered his head and nodded slightly.

"Since I know you, I have gone through so much more in terms of feelings than I ever felt before. Remember when we first met properly, in the restaurant? Well, I felt anxious before stepping on the stage. That had not happened in a long time. I felt like I had to impress someone..."

"Oh... Sorry if I put pressure on you, but that was never my intention, I never even thought that I had caught your eye!"

"I know, and you don't have to apologise. But that first night we spent together, your let yourself go to me, even though I had told you who I was."

Lucien paused and took a cigarette out. Mundy slided his hand and stole one from the case.

"You smoke?"

"Yeah, I used to when I was very lonely."

Lucien threw the cigarette case next to him and took a lighter out. He lit Mundy's first and then his. He closed his lighter and elegantly put it back in his inner pocket.

"So does that mean you're very lonely?"

"No, that means I feel as comfortable with you as when I'm lonely."

Lucien raised an eyebrow, he was confused.

"I'm so serene with you, it's as if I'm alone, I don't see you as a person I have to put up with. I can just... be myself, really. But sorry, you were saying about our first night?"

"Ah, oui, I was saying that even though you knew I was the Spy from Mann Co., you agreed to... well... spend the night with me. Now I'm not going to lie, part of me thought exactly what _yo_ _u_ thought about me."

"Uh?"

"Part of me thought you just wanted... well... you just wanted some company for the night and then you'd go away."

"Whot?! Do I seem that insensitive?! Nah, if anyone seemed _that_ cold-blooded, it's you mate!"

"Non! Think for a second, put yourself in my shoes. I knew you were the Sniper from Mann Co., what else did I know? Well, you're very knowledgeable about animals and... that's it! Do you realise that you did spend your time locked up in your van during those years, being as impassive as I was?"

"But... But..."

Mundy started counting on his fingers.

"But those French lessons? And the visit at the zoo? And the fact I took care of your bloody hand?"

The volume of Mundy's voice increased and the Frenchman lost his temper too.

"You could well have pretended to _not_ have recognised me! How was I to know what was going on in your head?!"

" _WELL YOU ALWAYS SEEM TO KNOW WHAT I THINK, SO WHAT WAS DIFFERENT?!"_

_"I WAS FALLING IN LOVE WITH YOU, YOU IMBÉCILE! MY HEART WAS OVERTAKING MY HEAD!"_

Slience fell in the desert as the echo of Lucien's voice resonated against the boulders scattered around then and resounded in Mundy's skull. The Frenchman took a deep breath and resumed his speech calmly.

"And that was when you made my head spin and my heart burst... I was at a total loss. How could I be having feelings for a man? _Me?!_ I had spent my life and built my career on the fact that I was good with women! But you became an obsession for two reasons."

Lucien raised his index finger.

"One, you made me lose all ability to think straight. Everytime I tried to read you, I would panic because deep down I got scared."

"Of what?"

"Of reading what I wanted and not what _you_ thought."

"How's that scary?"

"Because that's _a first._ Before you, I could read everyone, even... Even the ladies I had been with."

"Oh..."

"At some point, I remember I found myself thanking God that I had quit my job as a spy. It seemed impossible for me to do anything without thinking about you. You were interfering with my reasoning!"

"I'm... I'm sorry..."

Lucien continued, and raised his middle finger.

"Second, I was curious."

"What do you mean?"

"The day I bumped on you, you did not hesitate to offer me your help, and that... That is a genuine act of kindness and, please don't take it badly, but I did not know you were _that_ kind to other human beings. Had I been a bird or something else, then, yes, I could very well see that you would have jumped to help... That kindness is something I have very rarely witnessed and more than that, I had no idea _you_ had that in you. So I became curious, and wanted to see if there were other... _treasures_ that you were hiding there."

Lucien put his index finger on Mundy's chest. The Australian smiled.

"Well, now I guess you know what's there."

"Do I?"

"O'course, do you really need me to say it?"

Lucien looked up at Mundy. He was smiling, his eyes half closed while seeing the light of the lamp dance in Lucien's clear eyes.

"Oui, please, what is there in you heart?"

Mundy's smile widened.

"You."

He bent his head and left a kiss on Lucien's forehead. The Frenchman closed his eyes and smiled too.

"Merci mon amour."

Mundy nodded and silence fell for a moment where again, both men where enjoying the silence, wrapped in the blanket that is the infinitely sparkling dark sky.

"See, this is a starry night."

Lucien raised his head.

"Oh..."

Mundy pointed at the sky.

"You see this sauce-pan shaped constellation?"

"Oui."

"That's the Great Bear, or Ursa Major. And see that one, the same shape but upside down?"

"Uh... Oui! Now I see it."

"That's the Small Bear..."

"Why not call it the Great Sauce-pan and the Small one? They're really not shaped like bears!"

Mundy wrapped his left arm around Lucien back, pulling him close. The Frenchman rested his head on Mundy's shoulder.

"And the sort of S-shaped one with a square head?"

"Hm-mh."

"That's the Dragon."

"Ooh... It doesn't look like a Dragon either..."

"Oh, because you've seen one for real roight?"

Mundy looked down to his left. The French man raised his head off his shoulder and looked up to him.

"Well, not exactly but..."

"Then, how can you say, _you grumpy old man?"_

"Hey! I'm not old!"

Mundy smiled.

"But you admit you're grumpy then?"

"Wha-Mundy!"

Mundy burst out laughing.

"Ha! Got'cha!"

"I see, I now have to step up my game with you!"

"Oh? Whot's that supposed to mean?"

Lucien smirked.

"It means you have grown better at flirting!"

"Is that bad?"

Lucien looked up to Mundy, lovingly, and blushed a bit but his lover didn't see it in the dark.

"Whot? You're not saying anything?"

Lucien put his hand on Mundy's cheek and kissed him. While doing so, he pushed his lover back and Mundy had no choice but to lay down, his back to the van's roof. Lucien lying on his side, next to him, a leg between the Australian's.

"Wow... I..."

"Ssshhh..."

Lucien went on all four and put the blanket on his back, so that it was like a tent over the both of them. Mundy's pupils dilated as he was hypnotised again by the Frenchman's eyes. To his surprise, Lucien lied on Mundy's chest, and the latter wrapped his arms around him. Mundy had expected Lucien to be more... _forward._ He smiled.

"I love you, Lu'."

" _Moi aussi."_

_[Me too.]_

"No, you don't get it."

Lucien raised his head off his lover's chest. He looked at him intensely, frowning slightly as he had no idea what Mundy meant.

"I don't just love you like that. I... I..."

Both of them felt the other's breath as Lucien's face was only a couple inches away from The Australian. Mundy's mind was racing, looking for the words, the right ones, those which would describe the intensity of his feelings for the Frenchman. His eyes were staring at the Frenchman's, zigzagging from right to left and left to right, quickly.

_Bloody hell! I don't have the words..._

So without thinking, he took Lucien's head in his hands and pulled it down to kiss him passionately, almost violently. He curled an arm behind the Frenchman's neck to push him down against him, and his other hand was on Lucien's cheek. The latter got taken aback but welcomed Mundy's lips with a moan of pleasure. He also felt a leg curling around his and pulling him down. He smiled with his eyes closed. Then he felt something cold on his skin, under his shirt. Mundy's fingers traced his spine from the bottom of his back up. The coldness of the touch felt like climbing roses intertwining around his body, with Mundy's nails lightly scratching his skin like the roses thorns. It all sent shivers everywhere instantly and Lucien had to break the kiss, just to breathe out. But Mundy was not done and pulled him down again. This time, both his hands were travelling up and down, mapping out the Frenchman's back, his scars and burns, his muscles and his bones.

Lucien felt constricted. Not only had Mundy wrapped all his limbs around him but now even his clothes felt like they were too tight.

_"Attends mon amou, je n'en peux plus..."_

_[Wait my love, I can't take it anymore...]_

Lucien sat on Mundy, the blanket still on his back and removed his shirt quickly. Mundy opened his and got surprised.

_Oh, he is really taking everything off..._ _I should do the same..._

Mundy was quicker than Lucien, he put the blanket on his shoulders. As soon as the Frenchman was finished, Mundy pushed him from his shoulders and pinned him down. The Frenchman's back hit the sheets and rugs on the van's roof with a thud.

" _Wow, le chaton se rebelle?"_

_[Wow, is this the kitten rebelling?]_

Mundy smiled and growled as he dived in and kissed Lucien eagerly. He tried moving but Mundy was maintaining his arms strongly pinned to the van's roof. He could but wiggle slightly and completely undergo the Australian's yearning and oh Lord was he not prepared... It reminded him of that night they had spent in Paris right before coming to Australia, when they thought it would be their last night.

"Ouch!"

Mundy had bitten him a bit too hard. He raised his head and looked at Lucien.

_Oh mon Dieu..._

That was a sight Lucien had never seen yet. Mundy was smiling, no, he was smirking almost as if he had meant to bite Lucien's lip like that. Lucien opened wide eyes and his pupils dilated. Mundy put his lips next to Lucien's ears and whispered.

_"Who's the kitten now, luv'?"_

He was growling more than he was actually using his vocal chords to speak. And the low sounds propagated like ripples in the air directly to Lucien's heart which answered by beating a step faster.

"Last time we did this like that, I couldn't go till the end... I owe you this end, Lucien."

Lucien was terrified as much as he was excited and anticipating for what was coming. Mundy released his grip on Lucien's arms and sat up on his pelvis. The Frenchman exhaled loudly, in relief.

"Now let me ask you, before I go on..."

Lucien tried to love his arms but they went numb, so there he was, lying on the van's roof, his arms wide apart, and Mundy on top of him. The Australian put his index on Lucien's stomach and traced circles.

"Oui?"

As he said that, Lucien actually realised how out of breath he was. He sounded scared. The truth is, he started to be less frightened but more _eager._

" _Are you ready for this?"_

Lucien opened wide eyes. Mundy bent down and went back to his ear. Lucien's breath and heart raced again.

_"Once I have you pinned, I won't let go of you, mon amour... Until you can see the sun shine, your whole body shall be mine..."_

Lucien's heart skipped a beat and his breath was very fast. Before he could answer, he felt Mundy's lips on his neck again, slowly kissing him. But Lucien was very much ready and eager. He recovered the ability to move his fingers but his forearms were still asleep.

_Merde..._

Mundy's lips travelled up to Lucien's. He wanted it to last all night long and above all, he wanted Lucien to remember it forever. So he took his time and made sure that not only Lucien was enjoying it but also himself. He put his hands delicately on Lucien's soulder's and slided left to right all the way to the his fingers. He slided his between Lucien's and felt the Frenchman clench his fingers around his. He smiled and broke the kiss and pulled his face only a couple inches away from Lucien.

_"Je t'aime, je t'aime tellement, je t'aime à la folie."_

_[_ _I love you, I love you so much, I love you madly.]_

As he finished his sentence, he put his lips on Lucien's again. His words resonated in the still air of the night and hung up for a long time as if the boulders surrounding them had heard Mundy and were repeating his words again and again... The Frenchman rolled his eyes up and closed them. He moaned in pleasure. Mundy's hands slided back to his chest and Lucien realised his forearms were back but his arms were still dead.

_Merde..._

Mundy sat up and stopped. He looked at Lucien dead in the eye. His pupils were so wide it was almost as if he had back eyes. Lucien was hypnotised.

"I don't just love you... It's come to the point where..."

He couldn't find the words again. He stayed like that, just looking at Lucien's eyes. He then sighed and, almost with a note of sadness, he put his lips on Lucien's neck and sent them ravelling down, slowly, while his fingers were exploring Lucien's skin. Each time the rough touch of Mundy's callous hands made contact with the Frenchman's skin, Lucien could feel a spark spring from his skin, as if Mundy was scraping matches on his skin. The latter tried to move his arms, but to no avail. He could but moan... He wanted to flap his wings to try and resist the fall Mundy had made irresistible and ineluctable. But the marksman has sent an arow through each of his wings and the fragile yet majestic peacock was free-falling through the starry night skies.

_Does he know how much he paralysed me...?_

Lucien wondered, eyes still closed. He could not open his eyes anymore. He wanted Mundy, he _craved_ him. He was fighting to try to spread his wings wide, or even grab onto one of the stars he met on his way down but Mundy had taken another arrow from his quiver and was now aiming...

The peacock was falling, tumbling round and round his wings only only flapping under the air flow, like an iridescent satin cloth, unravelling the bright spectrum of colours his feathers flashed at Mundy's eyes under the moonlight. He tried to know where the marksman was aiming, even though, deep down, Lucien knew exactly where the arrow would hit.

Mundy threw the blanket away from his shoulders. It was hindering him. And even with his eyes closed, Lucien could feel it. The defenseless peacock saw he was trapped. The hunter had closed one eye as he drew the bow, steadying his aim.

Lucien held his breath.

Mundy held his breath.

He knew where he needed to hit in order to send the bird to sleep.

_T_ _he heart._

He had a clear shot. Lucien could see it as if his eyes were open and he saw it all happen in slow motion. The markman's fingers unclenched slowly, the string of the bow retracting, propelling the arrow forward. The peacock emitted one last cry before the blunt metal arrowhead made its way threw his plumage, breaking the fragile natural clothing Mother Nature had endowed the majestic bird with.

Lucien opened his eyes wide and like a reflex, he threw his arms around Mundy's neck and pulled him as close as he could to him, frowning and gritting his teeth. Their chests were touching. Mundy put his hand flat on each side of Lucien's body, on the rugs. He was sweating.

The hunter went to see the peacock. He found it on the ground, a couple meters away. He crouched down next to the bird. The peacock opened his big black eyes. He seemed to look directly through the hunter's soul. The latter removed the arrows from the wings. No blood, not even a scratch. He smiled. He got his hand closer to the arrow that was piercing the bird's heart. He hesitated, the peacock fluttered his long, black, thin eyelashes and that was enough to charm the hunter. His eyes went down and he wrapped his fingers around the final arrow, gripping it firmly. He took a deep breath.

What if the bird flew away after, never to be seen again? Maybe that was bound to happen that way. Maybe, in the grand scheme of things, his encounter with the peacock was to be only a short episode. Who knew? But he was intrigued. Not only the bird was gorgeous with his mesmerising eyes, but it did not get as much as a scratch from the arrows. The hunter wanted to know the bird more. Where was it from? Was it a windfall creature from some heavens above?

He frowned, his hand still clenched on the arrow, slightly slipping as he was sweating. He raised his head above as if to see if any angel could answer his questions. But he only saw the stars shining above his head, twinkling silently from distances unreached. He lowered his head and look at the peacock.

_"Mon Dieu... Mundy..."_

He closed his eyes and heard his own heart beat. No, it was not beating...

_Do it._

He powerfully pulled the arrow up and the peacock cried loudly, tearing the silence of the starry night as if he was powerfully tearing the Bible itself apart.

_AAAAAAAAAH!_

Lucien closed his heart and raised his head up, pulling on Mundy so powerfully that he collapsed on the Frenchman's chest. His whole body clenched as his shout echoed in the desert, bouncing off the boulders in all directions, like a pinball in a machine. Some birds crowed in the distance.

Lucien felt empty. His whole body relaxed, his legs fell on the rugs, his arms slided from Mundy's neck and collapsed left and right and his head jerked back, hitting the rugs underneath. The only part of his body which was still working was his heart and lungs. He was breathing through his open mouth.

Mundy grabbed the blanket again and threw it on Lucien, to cover him. He looked at the horizon. The dark blue was turning lighter and lighter. He smiled to himself, both happy and proud, and laid down next to Lucien was still trying to catch his breath, his eyes still closed. Mundy looked at his lover and noticed that his hair was now long enough that it was ending in curls.

_"Bonne nuit mon amour."_

[Good night, my love.]

He closed his eyes.

_**\-- Author's notes --** _

Thanks for reading guys!!

Please do let me know what y'all think of this one! I put more effort into it and would like to know if it really makes a difference for the better !

Special thanks to the Discord crew who motivate me and fuel me to continue these silly scribbles!

See y'all for Chapter 44!


	44. Chapter 44

Lucien opened his eyes. He saw a dark beige ceiling in front of him.

_What the...?_

He smelled scrambled eggs and coffee. He turned his head and realised he was _in_ Mundy's van now and the Australian was making breakfast. He rolled on his side to be on the edge of the bed and watched Mundy getting busy. He was wearing a pair of shorts and a tanktop.

"Bonjour mon amour."

Mundy turned and took a step forward to kiss the Frenchman's forehead, brushing his hair away from his face with the back of his hand. Lucien closed his eyes to fully appreciate the touch of his lover's hand on his cheek.

"Mornin', luv'."

Mundy went back to his cooking.

"Did you carry me back inside?"

"Yeah, the sun was beginning to shine very brightly, you'd have got sunburnt."

Lucien slipped off the bed and went to the wardrobe. He took a pair of shorts and a t-shirt. He went behind Mundy and hugged him, resting his head on the Australian's back and wrapping his arms around his waist.

"Someone is very lovey today...!"

"Mmmh... It's your fault!"

"Ah, o'course, when is it not...?"

Mundy put the scrambled eggs on a plate and put the pan away.

"What you did yesterday..."

Mundy poured the coffee in two mugs.

"Here, grab that tray, will ya?"

Lucien unstuck himself from Mundy's back and obeyed. A moment later, they were both on the couch, sharing breakfast.

"So, you were sayin'..?"

"Oui, yesterday..."

"Mh?"

Mundy was focusing on eating but his ears and brains were with Lucien.

"How...? Why...? Wow, I mean I can hardly remember what happened after I..., you know..."

Mundy smiled and nodded slightly.

"Also, it was so... _intense_... I had never felt that before. I didn't know you could do that!"

Mundy raised his head off his plate.

"To be honest, neither did I... Mh, I told you I have no uhm... _experience_..."

"Oui but still! It felt... amazing, breath-taking, absolutely heart-stopping!"

"I'm glad you liked it, luv'."

"Liked it? _Liked it?!_ I died afterwards, I'm telling you, I can't remember the last time I slept like that... You carried me over and I didn't wake up, do you realise what that means?"

Lucien's tone of voice sounded worried. Mundy looked at him. The Frenchman had opened wide eyes, his pupils shining.

"What...?"

"Mundy..."

Lucien sighed.

"I think I.."

Lucien looked down at his hands.

"I think I am growing out of myself..."

Mundy put his mug down and got closer to Lucien, curling his hand around his back.

"What do you mean, luv'?"

"I should have woken up, Mundy, I really should have... What is wrong with me? _MERDE!"_

Lucien's fit of anger caught Mundy off guard. The Frenchman sprang up and started walking back and forth.

"Wow, calm down, Lu', I'm here for you. I'm here... What's wrong, tell me."

Lucien put his hands on his face and Mundy noticed he was shaking.

"Look, I don't know what's wrong but I'm here for you... Is it something I did?"

Lucien did not answer.

"Did I go... too far?"

He sat down again. Mundy hugged him and put the Frenchman's head on his chest. He rocked him left and right slowly.

"It's ok if you don't want to tell me."

Silence fell. Mundy put his lips on Lucien's head and left a gentle kiss, between the curls of his hair.

"I think you did it."

"I did whot?"

"You made me someone else completely. You made the spy in me _leave._ "

He removed his hands from his face and looked at Mundy, horrified. His eyes were swollen and red, tears were flowing. The sight of Lucien's devastated face pierced sharply through Mundy's heart.

"My love, Lucien, it's... it's ok... Look, I love you, I- I don't know what you really mean but-but I'm here for you and I love you, you hear me?"

Mundy had cupped Lucien's face in his hands and was looking deep in his eyes, as far as he could.

_This time I need to be the one who looks through your soul..._

He frowned.

_Come on... How do you do it again...? You stare..._

He blinked slowly.

_Come on, come on..._

He squinted and without realising it, he gritted his teeth. He was staring in Lucien's black pupils intensely. Suddenly he relaxed.

_Oh my God..._

Lucien's pupils were of course black but Mundy saw infinitely more now. The reflection of the morning sun's light in the abyss of his eyeballs shone back at him and, as the light was passing through the prism of his soul, the beam decomposed into a rainbow of emotions. For the first time, Mundy could directly read the anguish and despair buried deep at the bottom of the Frenchman's chest as clearly as he could read a book. Not only did he see the emotions but they were leaking through the Frenchman's eyes to Mundy's and diving to his heart, filling his ribcage with Lucien's torment, like a thick black smoke.

"Bugger... Do you mean that...?"

"Oui. When I met you, I was still very much a spy and it would have been impossible for you to do as much as touch me in my sleep. I would have woken up instantly. It's the first time it happens, Mundy, it is the first time that I trust someone _that much_ that I sleep deeply with them..."

Mundy smiled.

"Thank you."

"Non, thank _you_. I did not know it was even possible to love and trust someone the way I love and trust you."

"That's exactly whot I wanted to say yesterday, but I couldn't find the right words... I don't just love you, it's come to the point where I simply can't spend a day without thinking about you, or without wanting to be with you... When you walk past me and I do as much as even just smell your perfume, I turn into a crazed bloke and I just..."

Mundy had gritted his teeth out of emotion. He relaxed his jaw.

" _I just w_ _ant you..._ "

Lucien's eyes filled with tears and he smiled. He wiped the tears away with the back of his hand.

"I thought it was only me, Mundy."

"And I thought it was only me too, feeling things as strongly as that..."

They smiled at each other.

"Can I ask you some'in'?"

Lucien nodded.

"Why get angry? I take it as a very strong compliment, that you love me that much. But if you get angry, I feel like something is wrong... Maybe deep down, you don't want to love me that much...?"

Lucien frowned.

"Non, you misunderstood. I became angry because I was scared."

"Of what?"

"Of myself! Mundy, you are _the first person ever in my life whom I love like that_ _!"_

He paused for a second.

"Even Jérémy's mother I didn't feel like that for and I thought I'd spend my life with her...! Non, you are... _different_ and I... I mean... Argh! I can't translate my thoughts to English!"

"Say it in French then."

"Non, it's fine. I guess what I want to say in a nutshell is... _I need you_."

Lucien put his head on Mundy's chest again.

"So do I, luv', so do I..."

The Australian put his lips on his lover's head again, kissing the soft, grey and black curls, and closed his eyes, hugging him tightly. The Frenchman raised his head and put his hand on Mundy's cheek. His big light blue eyes looked very round. Mundy smiled.

"Now, you look like a kitten."

"And your cheek is scratching, you need a good shave."

Lucien brushed the back of his hand on Mundy's cheeks, the left one and the right one.

"Let's finish breakfast and I'll be your barber."

"Oh, I'm too _scratchy_ for Mister now?"

Mundy took Lucien's mug of coffee and handed it to him. Lucien took it but stood up.

"Thanks mon amour, give me a minute."

Mundy nodded and Lucien exited the van with his coffee mug. The Australian finished his breakfast quickly and washed the dishes when the Frenchman reappeared. He put his empty mug in the sink and hugged Mundy from behind.

"Merci."

"What for? Washing the dishes?"

"Non, for being patient with me."

Mundy washed the cup and put it aside, he wiped his hand with a nearby tea towel and turned to face Lucien.

"It's the least I can do. And remember when we first met? _You_ were the one who was always patient for me. You were always here for me and making things as easy as possible for me. Now I repay my debt to you, for all these moments."

Lucien hugged his lover and rested his head on Mundy's chest. The latter was resting on the counter with the sink behind him. He curled his arms around Lucien too, rubbing his back slowly.

"Merci Mundy."

"De rien mon amour."

[You're welcome my love.]

They stayed immobile for a minute or two. The desert was silent, the van was even more so. Lucien's ear was against Mundy's chest so he could only hear his lover's breath and heartbeat. He closed his eyes and took a deep breath. Mundy's lingering cologne tickled his nostrils and opened up his heart. He smiled.

"So, you wanna be my barber today? I think I have a razor somewhere..."

Lucien unstuck himself from Mundy's chest and looked up at him.

"Do you still have my Black Rose?"

Mundy raised a surprised eyebrow.

"Y-yeah, why?"

Lucien smiled.

"Then I don't need a razor."

"Uh? Wait, do you want to shave me with your knife?!"

Lucien nodded.

"Don't worry, I worked as a barber in Germany for some years... I mean, that was my cover job, so I know what I'm doing."

"I trust you but..."

Lucien raised his light blue, almost grey eyes to Mundy and took him by the hand.

"Come."

They exited the van.

"Now what?"

Lucien dropped Mundy's hand and looked at the van's side, right above his head.

"What are you...?"

"Ah! There it is!"

He opened a metal lid and got two metal bars out. He grabbed onto the remaining metallic bar and pulled horizontally, walking backwards and on the tip on his toes. A thick brown cloth unrolled. Mundy ducked slightly.

"Alroight, now we have some shade."

Lucien stuck the two metal bars vertically to the ground.

"Oui, now we do. Can you get the knife for me, and a chair please?"

Mundy nodded and went in the van. A minute later, he reappeared with a foldable chair and the Black Rose.

"Merci, sit down on the chair, I will be a minute."

Mundy obeyed. He unfolded the chair in the shade and sat down. He waited for his lover, fiddling with the knife.

"Ah! Bugger!"

He cut himself on the side of his index finger. He put it in his mouth to soothe the pain. Lucien emerged from the van, dressed with a white shirt and a beige pair of shorts. He had a towel slung over his shoulder and the shaving foam in his hand. He noticed Mundy had put his finger in his mouth.

"Oh, did you cut yourself _again?"_

"Mmh! Bloody spook knife!"

Lucien came next to Mundy, he knelt next to the chair, between the Australian's legs.

"Let me see..."

He delicately took Mundy's hand in his. He had a close look at the cut, crossing his eyes slightly.

"The cut is very superficial, you should be fine... But you're bleeding, wait."

With one hand, Lucien instinctively put Mundy's finger in his mouth, to which the Australian blushed intensely, while with the other, he got a handkerchief. He shook it elegantly to unfold it.

"There, that should be better."

He wrapped it around Mundy's finger and tied a knot.

"Thanks luv'."

Mundy gave Lucien his knife and the Frenchman nodded. He stood on his feet and went around, to be at the back of the chair. He pulled Mundy's face so that his head rested on the back of the chair and he draped the towel over Mundy's chest, right below his chin.

"Now, you relax."

Mundy closed his eyes and took a deep breath. He put his hands flat on his lap. Lucien delicately put both his index fingers on his forehead and traced a line following his temples and down to his cheeks, until he reached his chin. He held his breath and bent forward. He took the shaving foam he had brought from the van and applied it on Mundy's cheeks, his chin and his neck. With a trick of his fingers, he opened the knife up and readied himself.

" _Détends-toi mon amour, je m'occupe de tout."_

_[Relax my love, I'm taking care of everything.]_

The Frenchman took a deep breath and steadied his hand. He then started working. The first few cuts were awkward and it took Lucien a couple minutes before he got so focused, that the world around him faded away. Mundy was trying to relax as best as possible and not move, as he had experienced the sharpness of the knife.

The wafting of the breeze was a delight for both men. For Mundy, it cooled his skin down on his cheeks which he appreciated very much, although he was surprised at how nice it actually felt. Usually when he shaved, he would use a much duller blade and his skin would end up stinging. But Lucien's blade was indeed very sharp so the cuts were much cleaner.

On the other hand, for the Frenchman, the entire desert around, including the van, had disappeared. He was completely absorbed into what he was doing. Silence had fallen but Lucien wanted some background noise, so he sang.

" _Et si tu n'existais pas,_

_[And if you did not exist]_

_Dis-moi pourquoi j'existerais_

_[Tell me then why would I exist]_

_Pour traîner dans un monde sans toi,_

_[To hang about in a world without you]_

_Sans espoir et sans regret..."_

_[Without hope nor regrets]_

Hearing Lucien's voice helped Mundy relax. He wanted to smile but he refuted the thought, scared of getting cut with the Black Rose. Lucien went on and finished the right side. He went around the chair and got busy with the left one, singing all the while.

_"Et si tu n'existais pas,_

_[And if you did not exist]_

_J'essaierais d'inventer l'amour_

_[I would try to invent love]_

_Comme un peintre qui voit sous ses doigts_

_[Like a painter who sees under his fingers]_

_Naître les couleurs du jour_

_[The colours of the day arise]_

_Et qui n'en renvient pas"_

_[And who doesn't believe his eyes]_

He went on humming to himself and he soon finished.

"Et voilà!"

Lucien folded the knife back and wiped the rest of the shaving foam away with the towel. Mundy put a hand on his cheeks and opened his eyes wide.

"That's bloody smooth!"

"I know, I'm good at shaving. I did tell you I did that for years."

"Wait, what did you do?! You didn't shave everything off?!"

Lucien smirked.

"Look at yourself on the window."

Mundy sprang out of the chair and looked at his reflection on the van's window.

"Bloody hell...!"

"What do you think?"

Lucien was proud but there was a hint of doubt in his voice. He had shaved Mundy leaving a neatly cut gotee.

"It's... Uh.. It looks like the Scoper's Smoke that I once got from the Mann Co. barber..."

"Oui, it is very similar. But that does not answer my question...!"

Mundy was making faces in front of the window to look at his new face from different angles.

"I think I like it... It does make me look a bit older though."

"If you don't like it, I can shave it off."

Mundy turned to face Lucien.

"Nah I like it. And you know what? Let's keep it for a few days and see if I get used to it."

"Très bien."

[Very well.]

Lucien threw the towel on his shoulder, folded the chair and entered the van. Mundy followed him in, shutting the door behind him.

"Wait, what do _yo_ _u_ think about it?"

Lucien had put the chair and towel away. He turned to face his lover.

"To put it simply, the more I look at you, the less I can resist you."

"Oh?"

Mundy blushed and his ears got hot. He put a hand behind his neck.

"Ah... Well... I uh... Thanks."

Lucien came close to him and put his hands on his lover's waist.

"You look absolutely irresistible."

He pushed himself on the tip of his toes and kissed Mundy's cheek. The Australian smiled.

"Thank you."

He answered, kissing his lover's head. He hugged him softly, one arm curled behind his lover's back and his fingers lost in his hair.

"Do you think I should cut it?"

"Whot?"

"My hair."

"No. I love your curls, they're very soft."

"But doesn't it look messy?"

"No, what? Messy? No, it looks beautiful, luv'."

"Well, as beautiful as it can be when it's all grey and white and..."

Mundy broke the hug. He took Lucien by the hand and both sat down on the couch.

"Lucien, I like everything about you and particularly your hair. It's so soft... And I like the colour as well, you look very... _elegant_ with grey and white hair, I wouldn't want you any other way."

Lucien smiled. He took Mundy's hand in his and put it on his cheek, like a child with his favourite plush.

"Merci."

"So please, no hair cut, unless you want it of course, and above all..."

Mundy put his fingers under Lucien's chin and turned it so that they faced each other, only a few inches apart.

" _I. Love. You._ "

Lucien's smile grew more confident. Mundy bent on his side and put his lips on his, very slowly and delicately. He knew the Frenchman loved those subtle kisses, when his lips brushed only slightly, like a feather. It did not fail. The smile on Lucien's face disappeared as his whole body relaxed. When Mundy backed off slightly, the Frenchman still had his eyes closed. He exhaled loudly, almost like a thin sigh, as if the worries he had trapped the deepest down in his soul were escaping through his breath. He opened his eyes slowly. Mundy was enchanted. He saw the Frenchman's eyelid slowly rise, under the flapping of his long, black and thin eyelashes to reveal his eyes, coloured like two drops of ice. Lucien's eyes were mesmerising. They were light blue, yes, but looking closely, they had very thin hints of darker blue, scattered here and there, like the Arctic sea with a passing school of small thin fish.

Mundy's pupils dilated but of course, he did not realise it. Lucien smiled.

"You're doing it again."

Mundy looked dreamy, his eyes were half shut and his mouth was slightly open. He was completely absorbed in the charm of Lucien's face.

" _Mon amour?"_

Mundy snapped back to reality.

"Uh- what?"

"You're doing it again."

"What?"

"Your eyes."

"That's only because of yours."

Lucien smiled and this time, he was the one who went forward to kiss Mundy's lips. They exchanged a long, passionate kiss.

"Thanks luv'."

"Non, thank you."

Mundy adjusted his position on the couch. He sat while extending his right arm on the top of it. Lucien rested his head on his lover's shoulder.

"Oh, by the way, do you know when you want to go back to Paris?"

"Non, I don't have any specific date in mind, why?"

"I should go back fairly soon. It's been a couple weeks already and I need to go back to work at the zoo."

"Oh, right. Then it's entirely up to you, Mundy. When do you need to be back to work exactly?"

"In a couple days would be perfect, if that's ok with you, luv'."

"But of course."

"Good, thanks."

"You're welcome."

"Also, can I ask you somethin'?"

"Oui?"

"You never told me what else you learnt as a spy. You said languages but today I discovered you can also shave people..."

"... And cut gentlemen's hair."

"Oh, ok... What else? Is there something you are particularly good at?"

"Hm..."

Lucien went deep in thought.

"Well, because I used to look so much better when I was younger, I started out on missions were we needed intelligence from ladies."

"Oh shut up! You're gorgeous! Even my mum finds you good looking!"

"Ah, does she now?"

Lucien said it with a smirk.

"Oi! Watch it! It's my mum!"

"I'm joking... and flattered! But yes, seducing people into telling me things. Oh, also, close combat."

"Yeah with a butterknife!"

"Spying is not always about backstabbing, Mundy."

Mundy started mocking the Frenchman, trying to imitate his French accent.

"Oui, Mundy, _zhere is also sapping le sentries and shooting people from up close ohlala!"_

Lucien raised his head off Mundy's shoulder.

"Oh, shut up! I don't have such a strong accent!"

Mundy laughed.

"Oh you don't hear yourself!"

"Well, let me tell you that you sound exactly like that when you speak French!"

"Yeah but..."

Mundy put the tip of his index on Lucien's nose and tapped it lightly. The Frenchman followed his finger and crossed his eyes.

"... _You like it."_

Lucien raised an eyebrow and smirked. He took Mundy's finger off his nose and kissed it.

"Oh, because _you_ don't like _my_ accent maybe, hm?"

Mundy smiled.

"Oh shut up and c'mere."

The Australian dived on the sofa, pushing Lucien to lie down.

"Woohohoho! You wild...!"

"Wild what?"

Mundy paused a second and continued with his low, growl-like voice.

" _Panther?"_

He smiled, his eyebrows jumping up and down. Lucien rolled his eyes up and sighed.

"You wish..."

He said, smirking, before adding:

" _...Mon chaton."_

_[My kitten.]_

Mundy was on top of Lucien and both were lying down.

"Oh, come on! After what I did yesterday, surely I am a grown up panther now!"

Lucien laughed, his cheeks went pink.

"Maybe, maybe... But deep down there..."

He put his index finger on Mundy's chest.

"... Tu es un chaton."

[You are a kitten.]

Mundy got closer to his lover. Their noses touched and Lucien closed his eyes.

"Alroight, I accept but on one condition."

"Hm?"

Lucien's eyes were still closed, he took a deep breath and filled his lungs with that smell he loved: Mundy's cheap yet addictive cologne.

"I am _your_ kitten."

Lucien opened his eyes and smiled. He grabbed Mundy's tanktop on the chest and pulled him down to him.

"Oh _you are_ _mine_ , don't ever doubt it...!"

They did not spend that day doing anything _productive_ but by God were they busy...!

_**\-- Author's notes --** _

Thanks for reading!

As always please tell me what you thought of this one, it makes a huge difference to me and it keeps me going! :D

For those who want, our discord is open to anyone _(who's over 18!)_ so please do join and share the good atmosphere and discussions there! Link is usual and at the end: /BPbVqct

Special thanks to the Discord crew who encourage me and without whom this chapter wouldn't exist!

Also, the song I'm referring to in this chapter is "Et si tu n'existais pas." by Joe Dassin :)

See y'all around!


	45. Chapter 45

"Roight Micky, you sure you don't want me to give you guys a ride to the airport?"

"Nah, it's alright, dad, we called a taxi."

"Is your luggage ready?"

"Yeah, the suitcases are at the front door."

"When is the taxi due to arrive?"

"Any minute now."

"Roight, son, your mum is not around…"

"She's chatting with Lucien in the backyard I think."

"Good, come sit here next to me, I need to talk to you."

Mike and Mundy sat on the sofa.

"Look, son. I am still a bit… Uh… Confused about… Uh.."

"Me being with a bloke?"

"Yeah, yeah. But, I must say that the other day, the way you ran after him… And the way he threatened me and then your mother in the car…! I can tell you one thing, son. I know when a bloke has feelin's for someone and by God, Lucien is strong for you."

"Oh?"

Mundy blushed. He was of course not used at all to have this kind of talk with his father.

"The way he looks at you… But  _ you _ , you also are strong for him, eh?"

Mundy smiled and lowered his head to hide his blush.

"Son,..."

Mundy raised his head.

"You remind me of myself when I first got to know your mum."

"Really?"

"Yeah, I was exactly like you! I was very shy and also afraid until I just relaxed."

"What do you mean?"

"When I understood she was  _ the one _ for me, something inside me vanished. The anxiety and trouble, the shyness and fear, all these things went away."

Mundy looked blankly at his father.

"And I can tell by the look on your face that you're realising that it's exactly the same for you with Lucien, roight?"

Mundy stayed silent for a second.

"Y-yeah. You've put words on something I was feeling but never really said."

"Then I have a piece of advice for you son, if you think he really is the one for you."

Mundy listened carefully.

"Continue being the young boy we raised because that's what he loves in you."

"How can you-?"

"It's obvious! He's a fancy city boy with manners and things…! You, on the other hand, you're a simple, straight-forward man and you're very sensitive. I'd bet my pension that it's exactly what he likes in you. And of course, you grew up to be a good-looking man!"

Mundy's face radiated with a smile.

"Thank you, dad."

Mike put a hand on Mundy's shoulder. Both men could hear footsteps coming.

"I'm proud of you, Micky."

Mike whispered to his son. The latter lowered his head. He was trying to hide the water in his eyes.

"Thank you Caroline."

"Nah, don't mention it. Micky, can you come to the kitchen, I have some things I wanted to give you."

"Yeah, sure."

Mundy got off the couch and followed his mother to the kitchen while Lucien sat on the couch, next to Mike. He got his cigarette case out and offered one to Mike.

"Nah son, thanks. I can't smoke, the stuff makes me cough."

Lucien nodded and lit a cigarette. He turned to Mike.

"Thank you very much for everything, Mike."

"Bah, I s'ppose I should be the one thanking you."

"Why?"

"You've changed our Micky for the best. I can't remember the last time we saw him that happy."

Lucien puffed on his cigarette and smiled.

"Well, to be honest, he has the same effect on me. He is truly the person I needed without knowing I needed him. Speaking of that, I wanted your opinion on something…"

The two gentlemen continued their chat until Mundy and Caroline joined them in the living room.

"...Understood, thanks Mike."

Lucien smiled and bowed. The sound of a car horn interrupted everyone.

"That's you ride, boys!"

Mike got off the couch to open the door. Mundy and Lucien took their suitcases and followed Mike out, Caroline following them.

"G'day mate."

The driver exited the car and answered Mike.

"You called for a taxi, roight?"

"Yeah, the boys need a ride to the airport."

"Sure, let me take the luggage."

The taxi driver got busy while Caroline kissed Mundy good bye.

"Be careful, Micky, and please don't forget to call us from time to time, roight?"

Mundy hugged his mum and kissed her cheek.

"I will, don't worry."

He bent down and she put her mouth next to his ear.

"Look after Lucien the same way he looks after you. He loves you very much."

Mundy blushed.

"So do I."

Mike and Lucien shook hands.

"Merci beaucoup for everything, Mike."

"My pleasure son, and I also thank you for everything you did for our boy Micky."

Lucien bowed and went towards Caroline. She hugged him tightly as she did with Mundy, and pushed herself to the tip of her toes to whisper in his ear.

"Thank you Lucien, and please, continue looking after Micky. He loves you so much…!" 

Lucien blushed and smiled.

"Moi aussi."

[Me too.]

Mike and Mundy exchanged a hug and both him and Lucien got in the taxi.

"Roight, let's go, driver."

"Sure."

He started the engine and while they looked behind them, Lucien and Mundy saw the silhouettes of Mike and Caroline grow smaller and smaller. Mundy sighed.

" _ Ils te manquent déjà?" _

[You missed them already, right?]

"Yeah. But I'm happy about this trip."

"Moi aussi."

[Me too.]

A couple hours later, both men were sat on the plane, between sea and sky, on their way to Europe. Lucien was sat next to the window, looking at the infinite blue sky and the clouds below. He felt something on his hand. He turned his head and looked on his thigh. Mundy had put his hat on Lucien's hand and was sliding his hand underneath it. The Frenchman felt his lover's fingers sliding between his. He raised his eyes and looked at Mundy. He was smiling, his lips moved without any sound.

_ "Je t'aime." _

_ [I love you.] _

Lucien blushed and answered the same way, silently.

_ "Moi aussi." _

_ [Me too.] _

A flight attendant came with refreshments. She was quite a young lady.

"Can I get the gentlemen anyth-?"

Her eyes went to Mundy's hat, on Lucien's thigh. She guessed that they were holding hands.

"I'd take some coffee please."

"Make it two, if you please."

She went red as brick and felt quite uncomfortable but nonetheless did her job. As she started pouring the coffee in the first cup, Lucien's eyes shot at Mundy. The Australian looked relaxed which greatly surprised the Frenchman. Somehow, Lucien was expecting Mundy to have slided his hand out as soon as the flight attendant appeared, blush and lower his head. But none of that happened. The Australian was still proudly holding his lover's hand. Lucien smiled at the thought.

_ \-- Paris -- _

The Frenchman unlocked the door and entered.

"Home, sweet home, as you say in English."

"And paper, sweet paper, as you say in bureaucratic French…!"

Mundy was pointing at the pile of letters that Jeremy had got out of the mailbox everyday. It had accumulated into a fragile, yet very tall Pisa tower.

"Ah, oui…"

"I need a good shower. D'you mind if I go first?"

"Not at all."

Mundy went directly in the bathroom. Meanwhile, Lucien took both suitcases to their bedroom. He removed his jacket and threw it on the bed. He looked through the window, at the dark sky. The moon was pale and only a crescent shone. Lucien looked around it but the stars were definitely dimmer in Paris than back in Mundy's parent's place. He smiled.

He walked back to the living room and sat on the sofa with a sigh. He was quite tired, the plane journey had been long. He looked around him, everything seemed the same as he had left it. Except for that pile of envelopes. He got off the couch and grabbed them. He came back and collapsed lazily on the sofa again.

_ Mon Dieu, I'd better start having a look now… _

He put the disorganised pile of paper to his right. He took a cigarette and lit it. He flicked through them quickly, to eliminate the advertisements. A letter caught his attention. 

_ My name is hand-written on it. But my address is not written so the person left it in my mailbox in person. _

He took it under his eyes and looked at it closely.

_ The paper and the ink are expensive, no doubt. _

He put the envelope under his nose and smelled it.

_ Hm. Weird smell. _

He looked at the handwriting again.

_ Whoever wrote that has very shaking hands… Let me read the actual thing. _

He took his Black Rose out of his pocket and elegantly cut the envelope. He took the letter out, unfolded it and started reading.

_ Mon très cher Lucien,... _

_ [My very dear Lucien,...] _

Meanwhile Mundy had finished taking his shower. He stole Lucien's dressing gown and wore it. He looked at himself in the mirror.

_ Fancy...! _

It was the satin red one. He tilted his head on the side, twisted and turned to look at himself under different angles.

_ Roight, enough admiring myself, I'm really turning into Lu' now. Speaking of, let's see what he's up to… _

Mundy was on his way to the living room when he heard an angry shout. He raised an eyebrow and moved quicker to the living room.

"You alroight luv'? I heard you shouting and-"

" _ L'ENFOIRÉ!" _

[ _ THE SON OF A…!] _

Mundy found Lucien standing up, pacing the room. He threw the letter angrily in the air. He spun on himself and threw his Black Rose at it. The blade flew and pinned the paper to the wall above the TV screen. Mundy opened wide eyes.

"What the bloody hell is happening?!"

Lucien needed to shout, break and punch.

_ "Putain de merde! Ce fils de chien!" _

_ [Fucking hell! That son of a dog!] _

He went at the table and slammed his right fist in, startling Mundy.

_ "Pu-taaaaain!" _

_ [Fucking heeeeell!] _

He pulled his hand off the table slowly. The punch left a crater on the surface. He held his right hand with his left one, it was bleeding. He raised his head to look up to his lover. Mundy gasped and put a hand on his mouth. Lucien looked enraged. His eyes were shining fiercely and in the low light of the night, it looked like his eyes had two flames burning and leaving a trail of light whenever he moved them. He was gritting his teeth, breathing heavily to dull the pain in his hand.

"What the hell, Lu'?! What is happening?!"

Lucien did not answer. He went straight to the coat hanger and took his suit jacket, put it on and put his bloodied hand on the door knob. He was about to pull on it when Mundy's hand firmly grasped it.

"You're going nowhere until you tell me what's wrong with you!"

**_\-- Author's notes --_ **

Thanks for reading mates! :D

Special thanks to the discord crew, Deathtothecrows, Cheesepie, Dragonll, Layka, Christine, Cat, the Fork God, the new purpleglori, and the oh so famous gearlic!! Also, thanks Gret' and MetaWolfie for being such good pals! 

 

Stay tuned for Chapter 46!!

 


	46. Chapter 46

Mundy grasped Lucien's arm firmly.

"You're going nowhere before you tell me what's wrong!"

Lucien lowered his head, his hand still on the knob. Mundy looked at him intensely. The Frenchman turned and collapsed on his lover's chest, sobbing heavily. Mundy wrapped his arms around him.

"C'mere."

He guided Lucien to the sofa. He was still crying. Mundy held him in his arms, a hand on his head and pressing it on his chest.

"Mon amour, que se passe-t-il?"

[What's happening, my love?]

Lucien pointed at the letter still pinned on the wall with the Black Rose. Mundy looked up at it. He got off the couch and took it off the wall. He came back on the couch and Lucien instantly put his head back on his shoulder and grabbed the satin gown with his hand, clinging to it. The cloth started to absorb the blood dripping from his hand. Mundy read the letter.

_"Mon très cher Lucien,_

_J'espère que cette lettre te parviendra malgré tout. Je vis en ce moment mes derniers instants, je pousse mes derniers soupirs, et je voudrais te dire certaines choses tant que j'en ai encore la possibilité. Tout d'abord, je te présente mes excuses. Je me rends compte que je me suis comporté comme un idiot avec ta mère et toi. Je vous ai traité de la manière la plus horrible qui soit et je n'ai aucune excuse si ce n'est que l'argent et les richesses m'ont rendu aveugle. Et je m'en rends compte maintenant, alors que je t'écris cette lettre parce que tu n'es pas là, parce que je t'ai poussé à me fuir, parce que je ne t'ai jamais considéré comme mon fils._

_Alors que je cherchais à te contacter, on m'a dit ce que tu es devenu. Une vieille dame m'a trouvé et m'a dit que tu étais devenu le meilleur espion du pays, tellement talentueux que d'autres pays se sont arrachés ta personne, même les Etats-Unis t'ont demandé de les rejoindre. Elle m'a aussi dit que tu es un homme bon, au grand coeur, et que depuis que tu es parti, tu as aidé des enfants qui ont souffert de la même situation que toi._

_Je regrette. Je regrette d'avoir quitté ta mère. Je regrette de ne jamais t'avoir aimé comme un père aime son fils. Je sais que cela ne réparera rien mais je te laisse tout ce que je possède pour en jouir à ta guise. La vieille dame m'a dit eu c'était en fait elle qui t'avait élevé. Elle m'a arlé de toi pendant des heures. J'ai voulu lui laissé quelque chose mais elle a insisté et a refusé, elle dit que te connaître et avoir eu le privilège de t'avoir élevé est plus que ce dont elle aurait pu rêver. Je ne te demande pas de me rendre visite, ni d'assister à mes funérailles où il n'y aura certainement personne._

_La vieille dame m'a montré une photo de toi. Quel bel homme tu es devenu. Toi qui ne veut certainement rien de moi, au moins, tu portes bien le nom de famille que je t'ai donné._

_Je te présente encore mes excuses et adieu,_

_George de Beauregard, un père fier de son fils."_

[My very dear Lucien,

I hope this letter will make it to you. I am currently living my last moments, breathing my last breaths, and I would like to tell you a few things before I can't anymore. Firstly, I apologise. I realise that I behaved like a coward with your mother and you. I treated you as badly as I could and I have no excuse, except that money and wealth made me blind. And I realise it now, as I am trying to write this letter to you because you are not here, because I pushed you to flee, because I never considered you my son.

As I was looking to contact you, I was told what you have become. An old lady found me and told me you became the best spy in this country's Intelligence agency, so talented that other countries wanted you for themselves, even the United States had asked you to join them. She also told me that you are a good man, kind hearted, that ever since you left, you were helping children who are in the same situation as you were when you left.

I regret everything. I regret having left your mother. I regret to have never loved you as a father should love his son. I know it will not repair anything, but I leave everything I have left to you, to do with it as you wish. The old lady told me that she was in fact the one who raised you. She told me about you for hours on end. I wanted to leave something for her but she insisted that she did not want any of it, that knowing you and having the privilege to raise you was more than what she could have ever hoped for. I am not asking you to come and visit me, neither am I asking you to come at my funeral where no one will probably show up.

The old lady showed me a picture of you. What a handsome man you have become. You, who surely do not want anything from me, at least the family name you got from me suits you well.

I apologise again and farewell,

George de Beauregard, a father proud of his son. (Beau = beautiful, regard = gaze) ].

Mundy's jaw had dropped.

"Bloody hell... I'm sorry Lu'..."

He put the letter on the coffee table in front of him and hugged the Frenchman for a couple minutes.

"Let me go get something for your hand."

Lucien let go of Mundy so he could get up.

"Mundy?"

He turned back to face Lucien.

"Please come back quickly."

He nodded and rushed to the bathroom. A couple seconds later he was back and started cleaning the wound.

"It's your right hand again. But this time it's far from being as bad as the first time, when I just met you. It's only very superficial."

He wrapped some bandage around Lucien's hand.

"There you go. That should be better."

Lucien nodded in thanks. Mundy looked at him. The tears had put out the flames that were burning in his eyes a moment ago. He looked miserable.

"You know what we should do?"

Lucien answered nothing.

"We should go and see Marie-France."

Lucien, head still low, answered.

"Why? This letter dates back to a week ago. He is already dead. There is nothing we can do."

"Yeah, that's true, but I know you. I know you're curious and you need to know what they said to each other."

Lucien did not react.

"I know you have a hundred thousand questions jangling in your head in all directions and I know you won't sleep before you get answers, so c'mon."

Mundy got off the couch and pulled Lucien with him.

"Get your jacket and wait for me. I need to put some clothes on."

A minute later, Mundy appeared and took Lucien by the hand.

"Now, let's go."

They exited the flat. It was the middle of the night and both of them were exhausted but Mundy's mind was set.

_I'm not going to sleep before he has an answer for all his questions._

Mundy was still holding Lucien by the hand and firmly dragging him through the dark streets of Paris. Everything seemed black to Lucien anyway and the street lamps were hurting his eyes so he just locked his eyes on the floor. The cobbles were flying fast under his feet as the light shining on them was smoothly oscillating from bright to dark under the street lamps. Without realising it, his breath synced with the light appearing and disappearing. He felt empty inside. The anger inside him disappeared and nothing took its place. He was not sad, he was not angry. It was as if the letter, his father, the walk through the night with Mundy, everything was but a dream. He was dragged by a force greater than him and that force that was not in him was taking control of what he was doing. It even knew what he wanted deep down and Mundy was right. Lucien wanted to know more.

He wanted to answer the 5 double u's: when, why, where, who and how.

Who? His father.

How? God only knew.

When? About a week ago now.

Where? Of course Lucien knew where his father lived. He had spent his life avoiding that entire neighbourhood.

Why? Because he's dead. It turned out what it took him was to be on his death bed. Some people say "better now than never". In that case, Lucien would have preferred never. He didn't know what to feel. Of course he was outraged at how his father had treated his mother and him. But the old man was finally regretting it. Finally he grew a heart and Lucien felt like part of him wished he could have had a discussion with him before the end. He didn't know what he would have told him but he wished he had had the opportunity to.

"Marie-France?"

Mundy's voice broke his train of thoughts. The had arrived in the alley.

"Oui, I am here."

She kicked the lamp post next to her with her cane and it switched on.

"You have read the letter I presume."

"Yeah we did."

"Mundy, grab some crates, I'll take care of him."

He nodded. The old lady came to Lucien. His back was hunched, his jacket was opened and his shirt underneath was crumpled. She noticed the bandage and the red stains still on his sleeve.

"Mon petit, je suis désolée."

[Son, I am sorry.]

He dropped to his knees and hugged her. She dropped her cane to the floor and hugged him too.

"Je ne sais pas Maman, je ne sais rien, je suis perdu."

[I don't know Mum, I know nothing, I am at a loss.]

"Je sais, Lulu, mais je suis là, ça va aller."

[I know, Lulu, but I'm here, it's alright.]

Mundy pushed some crates under the street light. He was about to hop on one when he saw Lucien, his knees on the floor, hugging his mother. He was within ear shot but turned his back to them so that they could chat in peace.

"Tu es triste?"

[Are you sad?]

"Je ne sais pas."

[I don't know.]

"Tu es en colère?"

[Are you angry?]

"Je ne sais pas."

[I don't know.]

"Dis-moi ce que tu ressens."

[Tell me what you feel.]

Lucien stood up and dragged himself towards the crates. He sat next to Mundy and Marie-France hopped on next to him.

"I don't know what to feel. I should be sad because I lost my father. But I never really had him anyway..."

He looked down.

"On the other hand, knowing that he had regrets after all..."

He bit his lip to hold his tears back.

Marie-France put her hand on his.

"Let me tell you the whole story..."

She took a deep breath.

"The news of him looking for you got to me fairly quickly. So I went to him in person. I knocked at the door and a butler came to open. He asked me who I was so I answered that I came on your behalf. He let me in and took me to your father. I found him in the backyard, sat on a wooden chair. He was staring at the garden. It was an awful sight. I think he gave up taking care of it for months so the grass was brown after the scorching summer sun, the trees had already started to go yellow and pears and peaches were rotting on the dry ground. The butler announced me and he put a chair next to him. I sat and for the first time I saw what your father looked like."

"How... How was he?"

"Very weak. His skin was very pale, his eyes tired. He was wearing a very bushy and untidy white beard and he stank of alcohol...

'Do you truly know Lucien?'

'With all due respect, I know him better than you, Sir. I raised him.'

He smiled.

'You can call me George. And I take no offense at what you said. You are just stating the truth... Where is he?'

'He is in Australia, meeting the parents of his beloved.'

'Ah. How old is he now?'

'Old enough to have a grown up son and finally be happy.'

'He has a son?'

'Oui.'

A tear ran down his cheek silently.

'What is his name?'

'Jérémy.'

'How is he?'

'Good, he is living here in Paris, with his father and his companion. He is a good boy.'

'So Lucien managed to raise a kid up?'

'Non.'

I told him the story of how you got with Jérémy's mother and she kicked you out of her life. I told him all the truth."

Lucien nodded.

"So he asked me questions about you.

'What has he been doing?'

'George, Lucien is the best spy France has ever had for the past 30 years or so. He was so good that the United States and the USSR were at some point in a bidding war, piling up more and more money to have him work for them.'

'Really?'

'Oui. Why do you doubt it?'

'Because the Lucien I remember was incapable of lying or hiding the truth. He was a very honest, simple boy, so simple and candid that his the other school kid sometimes took advantage of his naivety...'

'That young boy doesn't exist anymore, George. He fled, fought and starved in the streets.'

Another tear came out of his eye.

'And he grew up to be a paid liar?'

'Non, he grew up to be someone who cares for children who are going through the same hell as he'd been through. He helps them at school, he encourages them, loves them and even helps them find a job. Lucien has given an amount of fatherly love that your mind would not be able to understand.'

'What is he like?'

'The most handsome man I have ever laid my eyes on. Elegant, polite, and very deep down, kind hearted.'"

Lucien's tears were streaming. Mundy took his other hand.

"In a way, I have come to thank you George.

'Why?'

'If you had been a good father, I would never have found and raised such an exceptional man. By the way, I have brought a picture, look.'

I gave him the picture and he stared at you for a long time. I think he realised how much you look like him when he was your age. You are him, only much better at heart. So he put the picture on his chest and sobbed heavily. It lasted for seconds that transformed into minutes and I did not interrupt it. He wanted the truth? There it was...

'He is a good man.'

'Oui, he is, despite having gone through a lot of trouble, Lulu is a very kind man.'

'Is he happy?'

'Oui, especially since he found that special person. It's almost as if finding him was a start of a new life for him, a life of happiness.'

'Him?'

'Oui, your son shares his life with a man. George, again, not my business to judge you but you yourself are in a rather bad position to be judgemental.'

He nodded.

'You are right... But, was there no woman who wanted him?'

'On the contrary. I told you, he is the most handsome man I have ever seen. And when he was younger, he certainly took advantage of his good looks...!'

'Oh...'

'Oui, he used to be the Casanova around some parts of town. He used to sing in a restaurant before becoming a spy and George, all the female clients were melting for him.'

He smiled.

'Does that remind you anything, George?'

He nodded and cried silently.

'That's what I thought... Can you move at all? I would like to take you somewhere. It's not very far.'

He lifted the shawl he had on his lap and I saw wheels at the bottom of his chair.

'I will call my butler. He will take me where you want.'

A moment later, we stood there."

She lifted her cane and pointed at the wall.

"You took him to see...?"

"Oui, he saw your man on the wall. And Jérémy's...

'This, is what Lucien painted when I first met him. I was taking care of a lot of children and I would not always have time for him. So I told him to paint the man he wanted to become and each time he wanted to find someone to talk to, he'd come here and nourish that painting with his stories.'

'He painted this?'

'Oui.'

'Oh mon Dieu...'

He saw how much that man looked like him and so he wept again.

'What is your name, Madame?'

'Marie-France.'

'Marie-France, this man that Lucien painted, he's...'

'I know. It's you.'

He nodded, his tears still flowing.

'So the man he wanted to become was me afterall?'

'Non. Or rather, not exactly. He wished he could be as happy and satisfied with his life as you.'

'Ah.'

'What?'

'See, Marie-France, I too thought I was happy with my life... Until I realised I isolated myself from everyone, if people did not leave of their own choice, I would pay them too... I thought I did not need anyone, oh how wrong I was. I realised it too late...'

He paused a moment and stared at the wall silently.

'And this one?'

'That is Jérémy's version. When he painted it, he also re-painted his father's.'

'Do you have Lucien's picture with you?'

She nodded and gave it to him. He held it in front of him and looked and the 3 pictures: Lucien, his man of the wall and his son's.

'So Lucien's painting looks like me, and Jérémy's looks like Lucien... A natural cycle.'

'Maybe, although both were painted in very different contexts and contain very different messages.'

'Ah?'

'Lucien's man on the wall is atrociously idealised. He knew when he painted it that he would never become that man. Also, he painted a man that part of him wanted to become and part of him hated.'

'I see.'

'Jérémy's was painted when he still had strong hopes that he could manage to put his parents back together. Also, he painted him wearing a suit that Lucien used to wear a lot.'

George listened carefully and with his full attention. Silence fell in the alley.

'Marie-France?'

'Oui?'

'I owe you.'

'Non. I don't know you, you owe me nothing.'

'Yes I do. You raised my son to be a good man, which is something I would never have been able to do. So I want to give you something, as a thanks.'

'I will not accept it.'

'Why?'

'I did not raise Lucien for money or for anything in return. If anything, this child was a blessing. I love him like my own son and he loves me like his mother. I thank destiny for putting him on my way.'

'Please, allow me to insist.'

'Non, George. Those moments when I patched him up after getting badly beaten up by kids twice his size, those moments where he was becoming a man and did not have his father for guidance, those moments where he started working and needed proper clothes, all those moments where he gave _my_ life a purpose, you cannot buy those moments from me. I am keeping them.'"

Lucien squeezed Mundy's hand in his. Holding back his tears was becoming particularly difficult.

"George lowered his head.

'I understand. Can I ask you something else?'

'Not sure I will accept, but you can still ask.'

'Come back at the house tomorrow morning. I will write a letter for him. Can you please make sure it reaches him?'

'Oui. I will.'

'Merci.'"

Lucien was breathless.

"So the next morning, I went back to the house. The same butler opened the door and let me enter. I waited in the living room for a while and he came back with an enveloppe.

'Monsieur is unfortunately very ill and the doctor is with him.'

'Is he...?'

'Not yet, but the doctor said it would happen anyday now.'

'Right, merci.'

I turned my back and started walking towards the door.

'Uhm, Madame?'

I turned again.

'Oui?'

'I don't really know if I am supposed to tell you this but... Monsieur has really been troubled by his past life. Lately he hasn't slept a full night. He keeps on waking up shouting his son's name or the lady he conceived that child with. When I go and check on him, he is heavily sweating and he begs me to stay next to him until he falls asleep... Sorry to bother you with these details but if you see Monsieur's son, please let him know about that. I know Monsieur has been... _unforgiving_ with his child, but he seeks forgiveness.'

'I will let his son know and that is all I can do.'

And so I left with that letter that I put in your mailbox."

"Do you know if he...?"

"Oui, about 5 days ago. I went to his funeral and it was a very strong sight to see."

"What?"

"There was me, the priest and the butler."

Lucien closed his eyes and frowned.

"Can we go and visit him?"

"Oui. Follow me."

Marie-France hopped off the chair and lead the way. Mundy still held Lucien by the hand firmly. Lucien's hand was sweating but Mundy did not care, he just wanted to be there for him, to be the one against whom he could lean and who would be there to catch him if he fell.

They walked through the dark streets of Paris where Mundy discovered another side of the City of Lights. As they progressed through narrow streets, the deafening music of nightclubs made their ribcage resonate deeply. The people who were out in the dead of the night were exactly the opposite of those that one would see in the day. Some men were shining with their tuxedos, others, with their colourful beaded dresses and feather boas. The only ladies in sight were very lightly dressed and walked the pavement slowly, back and forth, waiting for a car to stop.

Mundy's eyes opened wide. Those people were exactly like him, a couple weeks ago. They did not belong to the sunlight of _normal_ society so they only came out at night, when the eyes of the _normal_ people were shut and they could be themselves, truly. Those people were not understood, even though they never asked for that. All they wanted, was to be respected, as all other human beings, regardless of their clothes, their hair, their skin, or who they put in their heart. He smiled sadly, in empathy. Some day they shall be free.

Suddenly Lucien stopped walking. Mundy turned.

"Wait a minute, please."

Mundy nodded. He did not understand but saw Lucien walk towards a florist's shop. Of course it was shut but for Lucien, nothing really is. He crouched and took his cigarette case out. In a couple seconds, he managed to unlock the padlock that was keeping the metal fence at the front locked to the ground. As he stood up again, he raised the metal fence. He unlocked the shop's proper door and entered.

"What is he...?"

"He is getting some flowers."

Marie-France answered.

"Ah, I don't know if that's uh..."

"Don't worry."

A few minutes afterwards, Lucien emerged from the shop again. He locked the door and pulled down the metal fence.

"Thank you for waiting."

"You're welcome Lulu. Do you need to get anything else?"

"Non, let us move."

Mundy was taken aback but feeling Lucien's hand in his, he started walking again, following Marie-France. They soon arrived in front of the cemetery. The large black gate was closed. Lucien walked forward and got his cigarette case out again. A couple seconds later, they were all in the cemetry, following Marie-France.

The street lights shone enough that they could see where they were going. The tombstones cast long gloomy shadows but Lucien did not see any of it. At some point, Marie-France stopped.

_"George de Beauregard"_

Mundy wanted to walk away, to give Lucien space but the Frenchman's grip on his hand tightened, so Mundy understood that in fact, he needing him. He relaxed his hand and Lucien let go of it. The Frenchman lowered his head. Mundy looked at him. A slight breeze made his messy curls wave and dance. He was frowning and from his left, Mundy saw his eyelids blink only occasionally but his stare was intense. Lucien crouched down and put the flowers in front of the tombstone. He stood back up. The Australian put his hand on Lucien's hip. The Frenchman leaned on him.

"I am sorry for your loss, luv'."

"Merci."

"No, I really am sorry and you know it already but I'm all yours and here for you."

Lucien nodded. They stayed like that, staring at George's cold tombstone for a while when Lucien decided to sit down, on the ground. Mundy went down and sat next to him. The Frenchman instantly leant against his shoulder again but this time he held his hand as well.

"Mundy?"

"Yeah?"

"Can you stay with me please?"

"Lucien, I made a promise to you. I will never leave you. If you want to spend entire days here and you want me to be with you, I will. You just have to say."

"I don't know what I want."

"Then, you need to spend some time thinking. I will stay here for as long as you want me to."

"Merci."

Mundy was used to staying immobile for hours. It was part of his job as a hunter. He felt Lucien was emptying his mind. He turned his head ever so slightly to watch him. The Frenchman's eyes were locked on the name on the tombstone. Sometimes his grip on Mundy's hand would tighten, other times it would relax, reflecting the intensity of his train of thoughts. Mundy followed Lucien's gaze and stared at the last name.

_So Lucien is "Lucien de Beauregard"..._

"Oui, that is my last name."

Mundy opened wide eyes. Once again, his lover had read his mind. But this time Mundy felt bad for it, almost as if his own thoughts broke Lucien's moment of peace. Mundy lowered his head and looked at the straws of grass, trying to think about nothing, to let Lucien focus.

"Please, continue thinking."

"But I don't want to."

"Why?"

"Because I don't want to interfere with your thoughts. _You_ 're the one who needs to think now."

"Oui, but I like how you think, I like listening to you think."

"You mean reading my toughts?"

"Oui. So please, pray continue."

_In that case, I was wondering about your name._

"What about it?"

_I didn't know it and your father was right._

"About what?"

_It suits you._

Lucien smiled.

_You really have the most beautiful eyes I've ever seen._

"Merci mon amour."

_I mean it._

"I know. You're always honest. I love that in you."

Silence fell for a minute.

_So technically, Jeremy is also "Jeremy de Beauregard"?_

"Non, his mother chose to give him her name, not mine."

_Ah, I understand._

Both men continued exchanging, one speaking, the other thinking until Lucien's voice went weaker and weaker and he finally fell asleep on his lover's shoulder. The first rays of light showed as the sky started to shine brighter. Mundy looked around him.

_Bloody hell, we broke into this place... I'd better disappear with Lu' before anyone notices._

He stood up and carried Lucien in his arms, still asleep. The streets started to fill with people going to work. They stared at that tall man carrying another man in his arms. He looked tired, had bags under his eyes but his stare was threatening. He was strong-willed, determined.

Yes, he was carrying a man in his arms.

Yes, he loved him.

He was carrying him proudly, sticking his chest out slightly and could not care less about other people's stare. He was holding his dearest against his chest and he could only feel his own heartbeat in his ribcage rumble rythmically like a silent thunder.

When he arrived in the flat, he made Lucien lie down on the bed. He went to refold the blinds and then came back, sitting at the edge of the bed, on Lucien's side. The sun was still passing through the shutters and Mundy didn't notice but a ray was hitting Lucien directly in his eyes. The Australian removed his t-shirt and trousers when he felt something cold on his back. It slid to his sides and finally to his stomach. It was Lucien's hands and his arms. They laced around Mundy's waist slowly, sensually slithering the surface of his skin as snakes. His fingers then dug in his skin, pulling Mundy to him. The Australian let himself go and lied on the bed next to the Frenchman who ran his fingers on his skin.

"Tu m'as porté jusqu'ici?"

[You carried me all the way back here?]

"Yeah."

"How did you do it?"

Mundy slid his hand between Lucien's cheek and the pillow. The Frenchman rested on it while the Australian brushed his thumb on Lucien's cheek.

"I carried you."

"What?"

"I carried you in my arms."

"Through the streets?!"

"Yeah."

"Wait, I must be misunderstanding. You are telling me that you carried me through the busy streets of Paris, while I was asleep in your arms?!"

Mundy nodded.

"What the... I must be dreaming!"

"No, no, I'm telling you the truth and you're fully awake...!"

Lucien blushed.

"Well, after you told me about this, you certainly woke _every part of me up_."

Mundy's eyebrows jumped up.

"Oh?"

Lucien half closed his eyes, his long eyelashes fluttering slowly. The sun was shining in Lucien's clear and light eyes as his lips pursed in a smile. Both men were lying on their side, facing each other. Lucien slid a hand behind Mundy's back and caressed him.

"Are you tired, _mon coeur?_ _"_

_[My heart?]_

"Not if you are fully awake."

Mundy put his index on Lucien's upper lip. The Frenchman raised it and a pearly white canine showed and softly bit the Australian's finger. Mundy raised an eyebrow and smiled. Lucien kissed the finger and, taking Mundy's hand in his and pulling it, he trailed all the way up his arm. He reached his collarbone and put a leg between the Australian, at which point Mundy had wrapped his hand around his lover and was pulling him close. But the Frenchman was still fully dressed and Mundy wanted to feel his skin against his lover's. Their breaths were growing louder and Mundy had pulled Lucien so that now, he was lying on top of the Australian. The latter slid his hands under the Frenchman's shirt. He answered with a long moan.

"Lucien, je te veux, je te veux tellement..."

[Lucien, I want you, I want you so much...]

He got rid of his shirt and his trousers followed soon, flying across the room. Meanwhile, the Australian had removed the last layer of fabric that separated him from his most natural form. So did the Frenchman. And the breaths grew louder, the moaning, more intense. The members of their bodies crossed, mingling, intertwining like the creeping branches of a tree in spring.

The Australian moaned in his turn. Lucien had added the French to the kiss and as always, Mundy could not resist. He rolled his eyes up and closed them in pleasure. The Frenchman was teasing his lover more and more. He wanted to repay that night in Australia. So, like a snake, his hands and fingers slid along the Australian's skin, sending shivers wherever they glided, mapping out his body. Every inch of skin, every scar, every beauty mark had to be accounted for. Lucien's hands were cold which added to the touch and Mundy lost his mind under the sensitive stimulus running everywhere on his skin sending light buzzes all over his body, making his skin crawl. Lucien looked up and saw that his lover had closed his eyes. Mundy was on another planet already but Lucien wanted to surprise him. So the pulses moved closer and closer to Mundy's center of gravity, which Lucien was attracted to. But he did not want to rush it. He took his time and when he arrived, he stopped. Mundy exhaled loudly. Silence and calm fell in the room for a second.

But Lucien did not want Mundy to rest. Oh, no.

" _Oh, my-!"_

Mundy's body jerked up and he opened his eyes very wide for a split second and bit his lip. The shock Lucien created propagated like on a high-voltage cable, at lightning speed to Mundy's brain. The discharge blew his mind and the Australian did not manage to hold back a moan. Lucien was taking all the wires in his mind, body and heart, one by one, and was serverring them violently, wildly, with his very teeth, sending sparks flying left and right. The first wires snapped easily but Lucien wanted them all cut off so he kept on increasing the current. It made Mundy sweat more and more as his body and mind offered less and less resistance, becoming more conductive, letting the flow of electric tension fill him up more and more. The voltage increased as he breathed very loudly. Lucien's touch was not helping, the man was electrifying his skin from the tip of his fingers. Mundy felt his body overheating, the tension was too much. He needed to let go of it, he couldn't hold back much longer...

_"Lucien...!"_

Mundy wrapped his legs around his lover and pulled him violently to himself. Lucien hugged him tightly, pressing his chest against his lover's and burying his face in his neck. He scratched his back with his nails lightly, waiting for...

_"LUCIEN!"_

Lucien bit his lover's neck lightly.

" _Ooooh!"_

Mundy growled loudly and collapsed back on the bed. He was burnt out. He breathed loudly and put a hand on his chest to help his heart calm down.

"Woah... Lu'... That was... ah... gimme a minute, will ya..."

Lucien snuggled up at his lover's side.

"Thank you for all that you did for me today."

"It's... ah... can't speak..."

"You can just think."

_It's only normal. I am here for you, I love you, Lucien._

The Frenchman put his head on Mundy's shoulder. He noticed the goosebumps on his lover's skin. He grabbed the satin bedsheet and covered both his lover and himself.

_Thanks luv'. I was getting cold._

"My pleasure. It's the least I could do."

"I love you Lu'."

Mundy put his hand in Lucien's hair, brushing it between his finger, feeling the silky curls flow around his fingers. He turned his head to Lucien and kissed his brow. The Frenchman smiled. The clock struck 10 o'clock.

"Bonne nuit mon amour."

[Good night my love.]

"Merci."

[Thanks.]

Mundy left his lips on Lucien's forehead, at the base of his white lock of hair and fell asleep quickly, his lover curled up in his arm. Both closed their eyes, a smile on their lips.

**_\- Author's notes -_ **

Thanks for reading this _big boi_ of a chapter! :D

Thanks to the discord and I hope I have made it up for y'all who hate cliffhangers (looking at you Dragon ;))!

Please do let me know what you think of this fat boi :D !

See y'all for 47!


	47. Chapter 47

Mundy opened his eyes before his lover. He looked down on his chest. The Frenchman was sleeping on him, hugging him. The Australian smiled and looked at the window. The sunlight was still shining brightly and a bird came to sing on the windowsill.

_Ah, he might get up because of the bird..._

Mundy wished he could shoo it from the bed. He could not move or his lover would wake up.

_You're lucky Lu' is sleepin' on me or I would have made sure you don't go back disturbing his sleep!_

His eyes went back down to the Frenchman.

_He is very good looking, even when he sleeps.._. _And he looks so peaceful._

Mundy wanted to put his hand on his lover's head and lose his fingers in the soft curls. He loved feeling the locks of Lucien's silky hair flowing between his fingers. But he thought he might wake him up, so he didn't. Instead, he just stared at it lovingly. He loved the fact that Lucien's hair curled at the end. It was not untidy and dry curls but soft, fluid ones. The urge was too strong and Mundy's hand dived in his lover's hair. He looked up at the ceiling and closed his eyes.

_I wonder what he thinks now... Hopefully the night will have brought him some peace._

He took a deep breath and thought about Marie-France again and how she talked to Lucien's father.

_What a woman... What a character...! She was firm with George without being impolite. Impressive. Also, the way she talked about Lucien... What did she say again?_ _'This child was a blessing', 'the most handsome man I have ever laid my eyes on'... I can only agree..._ _He is absolutely gorgeous and a pleasure to live with._

Lucien moved slightly and put his head right under Mundy's chin, some of his curls were spreading on the Australian's mouth. Mundy smiled as the faint smell of Lucien's expensive perfume now tickled his nostrils. But he soon lost his smile.

_I_ _'m curious what Lu' will do with the money from his dad... And the mansion... I think he won't take it and live there. Nah. He could give it away to a good cause... Mann Co. did pay us a fortune so we don't really need any extra money. But still, I wonder what-_

Lucien moved again. He put a leg between Mundy's and moved his torso on top of his lover's, lacing his arms under the Australian's back and hugging him tightly. He moaned.

"Please continue thinking..."

Mundy's eyebrows jumped.

"Wait, you were listening?"

"Oui..."

"Blimey, have you been reading all my thoughts?"

Lucien nodded, his eyes still closed.

"And come back to the part where you say I'm good-looking. Pray elaborate on that..."

Mundy smiled. He puffed some air to get Lucien's hair out of his mouth.

"Well..."

He put his other hand on his lover's bare back and stroked him.

"I... uh... You... I mean..."

"If you can't say it, think it."

Mundy closed his eyes.

_You already know that I can't resist seeing you. There are days where I wonder how you came to like me. There are even days where I... No. I can't say it._

Lucien raised his head off Mundy's chest, his untidy hair falling in front on his eyes. Mundy's eyes shot to his far right, to avoid his lover's gaze.

"Say it."

"I can't."

"Please."

Mundy sighed.

_There are even days where I thought it was impossible, you couldn't possibly like a bloke like me, and you were just using me._

Lucien looked up at Mundy.

" _Quoi ?!"_

_[What?!]_

"It was at the beginning and..."

"Mundy."

Mundy looked at his lover. He looked sad.

"Mon amour, how could you think my feelings were fake?"

"Well, look at you! And look at me! You're a God among men, you could be a model for paintings and magazines and me? Well I'm just your average bloke. I don't really take care of my looks, my skin is hard and burnt by the sun, I'm way too tall and don't know how to handle people..."

Lucien looked his lover right in the eye.

"You forgot the most important, Mundy. You are without doubt the kindest person I have ever met. Your kindness is so... large! You are even kind to animals!"

He paused. He was still lying on top of his lover. It was easier to read Mundy's mind when his heartbeat was so close to him. He put his index finger on Mundy's heart.

"What you have there, I have never seen anywhere else. Also, you're very wrong. You know very well how to handle people. I was shocked the other day when you held Tito in your arms. You handled him perfectly."

"Yeah but he's only a kid."

"Ah but that is why I was shocked. Kids are very hard to handle, especially young ones, because they don't lie. They will tell you what they think in your face. Also, you're not too tall, you're the perfect height. I only need to stand on the tip of my toes to kiss you. Your skin? I love it. Its caramel colour is a delight."

Mundy was blushing more and more.

"And you say that your skin is hard? Non it's not, it's perfect."

"C'mon you've got to admit I have callous hands!"

Lucien went to Mundy's ear.

" _And that makes your touch only more exciting."_

Mundy smiled.

"Thanks luv."

Lucien left a kiss on Mundy's neck, under his ear.

"Non, thank _you_."

He rested his head on Mundy's chest again.

"But you're right, I will not accept a single cent from my father. I will give it all away."

"Including the house?"

"Oui, it's way too big for the both of us. And I don't like it."

"Do you have any idea who you're going to give that money to?"

"Uhm... Not really. I'd like it to help people who need it. Maybe give it to a charity or something like that, even if I'd like to really see what this money will do."

"Can I suggest some'in'?"

"Oui."

"There's one charity which could really use the money. Also, you'd be sure they don't waste it and you'd be able to see the impact of that gift."

"Oh? What's that?"

"Marie-France."

Lucien raised his head off Mundy's chest.

"But she didn't want any of it."

"She didn't want George to pay her for having raised you. But she never said no to having that money to help other kids. Look, what I'm thinking is, what if you give all that money to Marie-France, including the house and you make some works there and you turn it into a proper modern orphanage?"

Lucien's jaw dropped. His smile grew bigger and bigger.

" _Quelle bonne idée!"_

[What a good idea!]

He jumped on his lover's lips.

"Oh merci beaucoup mon amour! That's a great idea!"

Mundy was catching his breath after the unexpected token of thanks from his lover.

"It's alroight... I just think she really deserves something. I mean, if you listen to her, life already gifted her something invaluable."

Lucien opened round eyes.

"Oh, what?"

Mundy put his hands on Lucien's cheeks and pulled him so that their noses touched.

"You."

He put his lips on Lucien's, delicately pressing them and the Frenchman went to liquid. He felt like he melted between the Australian's long fingers, his whole slihouette flowing fluidly and falling in the limitless lake of his lover's soul. Mundy broke the kiss.

"So, any plans for today?"

"Well, you just gave me one."

"Did I?"

"Oui, I will arrange for the money and everything my father owned to be transferred to Marie-France. That will be a bit of admin work."

"Sounds borin'."

"It usually is, unless..."

"Unless what?"

"Unless you know the right people."

"Oh and you know them don'tcha?"

Lucien smirked.

"Oui, I do. I just have to call a few people and that should be arranged fairly quickly."

"So that's your plan for the day, call people on the phone?"

"Oui. That and going to see Étienne. I need to talk to him."

Mundy raised his eyebrows.

"Oh?"

"Don't worry, it's minor details."

"Fair enough."

"What about you? Have you got anything in mind?"

"Well, I need to go the zoo and see how the birds are doing."

"Oh, going back to check on those babies you had with other ladies?"

Mundy facepalmed.

"Oh, roight, here we go again...!"

"What? It's not _my_ fault that you got babies to take care of now!"

"No, it's not, you're roight but..."

Mundy rolled, keeping Lucien in his arms so that now, the Frenchman was the one lying on the bed and Mundy was on top him.

"...I do appreciate your jealousy."

Lucien smiled.

"I know you do, that's why I keep being jealous."

"Oh?"

"Mundy, one of the things I love in you is the fact that you can't lie. If you like something, even if you don't say it, your body betrays it."

"Well, sorry, I'm not fluent in the art of spookin'."

"Non, you're not, I can confirm. But that only makes you more charming."

Lucien stole a quick kiss from his lover and went to the bathroom. A couple seconds later, Mundy heard the noise of the shower. He smirked.

_Alroight, time for kitten to be panther, episode 2. And this time, by God I'll make it._

Mundy slid out of the bed. The satin sheets helped him proceed noiselessly. He touched the floor with the tip of his toes, then the ball of his feet, soon followed the sole and lastly, his heels. He stopped moving and even breathing for a second, pricking his ears up, just to listen. Lucien started whistling.

_Ah, he's singin' now, even better!_

The floor was carpeted so that it dampened his footsteps.

_Roight, last time he said to walk normally so I'll walk bloody normally._

Mundy said that to himself however he could not help but hunch his back slightly and open his arms as if to maintain his balance as he treaded carefully towards the bathroom. He arrived at the door and noticed that Lucien had not locked it. He smiled.

_Oh, he'll never see me comin'!_

He put his hand on the door knob and slowly turned. The click of the latch was so faint even he could barely hear it. He put a foot forward, in the bathroom and quickly spun moving his weight from one foot to the other. He did not bother closing the door again as he might risk being louder this time. He was only a few steps away from the shower now. His grin grew wider in anticipation. His heart beat faster but he still stayed focused. He exhaled silently.

_It's just like another hunting mission. Gotta stay focused and calm._

He took the couple steps that separated him from the shower and he was now right behing the curtain. He stared at his right hand as he extended it between the end of the curtain and the wall.

_Steady, steady..._

His hand travelled forward further and further. At some point it was supposed to touch Lucien but now Mundy had his whole forearm and arm past he curtain and yet it still wasn't touching anything.

"Good try."

Mundy got startled and gasped. He spun on his heels. Lucien was proudly standing, leaning on the sink elegantly, his lips curling deviously.

"How did you-?"

Lucien teased him with the invisibility watch in his hand.

"Oh, bloody hell, you're cheating! That's not fair!"

Lucien put the invisibility watch back on the sink and walked to his lover. Mundy grabbed him by his waist and spun around.

"Well if you want to play the panther game, you'd better be equipped, _mon chaton!"_

[my kitten]

Mundy smirked.

"Oh, you mean like this?"

The Australian vanished in thin air.

"Mundy! Did you just-?"

Proud of himself, the Australian could not help but laugh heartily. He had stolen the invisibility watch and switched it on.

"Your turn to be the unequipped kitten! Now try and find me!"

The bathroom door opened. Lucien guessed that Mundy escaped.

"Mundy, you do know I can still hear you, mh?"

"Yeah, but your pretty eyes can't see me, _mon chaton_!"

His voice went high-pitched in the end, just to tease his lover. Lucien smiled.

"Right, you want to play that game?"

Mundy nodded, forgetting that the Frenchman couldn't see his nod.

"Très bien, I will play. But what if I win?"

"Whot then?"

Lucien walked to the kitchen and got a pack of cigarettes. He lit one and started puffing on it, elegantly, his chin up.

"What is my reward when I win this game?"

"Oh, listen to you, ' _when you win this game'!_ Ha! Who says you're going to win?!"

Lucien raised an eyebrow up and took one step forward. Mundy backed with an equal step.

"Oh, Monsieur _the wannabe panther_ , I _will_ get you."

He took another couple steps forwards, forcing Mundy to walk backwards through the corridor.

_I'm gonna go to Jay's room, wait for him to continue forward in the corridor and emerge behind him._

And so he did enter the young Bostonian's room. Lucien continued walking forward in the corridor, passing in front of Jérémy's room door. Mundy smiled deviously and delicately put a foot out of it again, this time, he was behind the Frenchman.

_Who's hunting whom now, eh?_

Lucien kept on walking to their bedroom, Mundy still behind him. He arrived a step away from the bed's edge and looked left and right. He turned and took another step away. Mundy was between the bed and his lover, who had his back turned to the bed. Suddenly, Lucien whirled around and looked up, where he knew Mundy's eyes would be. Tha Australian gasped.

"So, _mon chaton,_ I think I have won now, non?"

Mundy, still invisible, was anxious.

_He must be bluffin'! No way he can know I'm here!_

Lucien's smirk grew wider. He raised his hands elegantly and suddenly, he pushed them forward powerfully, forcing Mundy to fall, his back on the bed. The Frenchman the put a knee down on the bed, between his lover's legs and bent slowly over.

_How does he do that...?_

Mundy had hardly time to finish thinking that Lucien's lips where on his, brushing and kissing passionately. At the same time, Lucien read Mundy's hand and switched the invisibility watch off. The silhouette of his lover formed before his eyes and seemed to appear from godly clouds as the vapor of the invisibility diffused away.

"How did you manage?"

"Not only can I hear your voice, but I can also hear your thoughts and your very heart beat. Also, you made a big mistake when you let me be the one who is chased. Because then, I become the one in charge and I have the power to guide you wherever I want."

Mundy growled.

"And where would that be?"

Lucien stepped off the bed and walked towards the bathroom. He entered and this time, he locked it.

"If I had time, in the seventh sky of heaven!"

Mundy, still on the bed, smiled.

_Such a shame you don't have time then..._

"I can still hear you think!"

He shouted from next door.

_And I thank God you can't hear me think._..

Lucien thought, grinning.

_... For I have plans for you my love._

_**\-- Author's notes --** _

Yeehaw! Thanks for reading as always!

Please do leave a comment to tell me what you think of it :D it fuels me to *git gud* and continue writing :D

An immense thanks to the discord people and especially Deathtothecrows for their help with grammar and vocab :D

See y'all for 48!


	48. Chapter 48

Mundy headed for the zoo, leaving Lucien alone in the flat. The latter finished his breakfast and took the phone in his hand. He dialed the number that he had very easily memorised.

"Hello?"

"Allo Caroline?"

"Oh, hello Lucien, how are you son?"

"I'm very good thank you. Can I talk to you for a moment?"

"Yes sure, what is it?"

"Remember what I told you right before leaving?"

"Uhm... what? About your ratatouille recipe?"

"Non, non, about... uhm... Well..."

Lucien felt uneasy. Those words were too hard to say when they're not said to make you laugh.

"About my _intentions_ with Mundy?"

Silence fell for a second.

"Yeah, yeah I remember. What are you planning?"

Lucien hesitated for a second. But no, there was no hesitation, he could not wait more.

"I will do it this week."

"Oh..."

"Would you be able to come with Mike?"

She went silent for a moment. Lucien thought there was a problem with the line.

"Allo? Caroline?"

But then he heard a sniff, then another one and then:

"Mike! Come here!"

Lucien waited patiently as he heard Mike coming.

"What's wrong? Why are you crying?! Is Micky alroight?"

From the other end of the planet, the Frenchman could perfectly picture the scene as he heard Caroline say:

"It's gonna be this week Mike!"

"Whot's gonna be this week?"

"Micky! Our Micky! Lucien will propose to him this week!"

Lucien heard the happy curse words and it made him smile.

"Wait, we need to come! When will you do it, Lucien?"

"I am just waiting for you to arrive and I can do it pretty much anytime."

"Alroight, alroight, Caroline! We need to pack up luv'! I'll take my nice suit!"

Lucien's smile grew wider.

"Caroline, are you alright?", Lucien asked.

"Yeah... yeah... Alroight, I will make a few phonecalls to get plane tickets and I will call you right back to let you know the earliest we can arrive."

"Merci beaucoup."

[Thanks a lot.]

"No, thank you! Do we need to prepare anything?"

"Just some nice clothing. Although if you don't have any, I can get you a tailor-made dress and for Mike, a tuxedo."

"Oh that would be lovely Lucien, thank you very much!"

"My pleasure, I should be the one thanking you."

"Alroight, give me a couple minutes and I'll be calling back."

"Très bien, many thanks."

They both hung up the phone but Lucien immediately dialled another number. It took him a bit of effort to swing from person to person until he got in touch with the right one.

"Allô Jean-Marc?"

"Lucien?"

"Oui, c'est moi, comment vas-tu?"

[Yes, it's me, how are you?]

"Lucien, excuse-moi mais, aurais-tu un moment, j'ai quelque chose d'important à te dire."

[Lucien, my apologies but, would you have a moment, I have something very important to tell you.]

Jean-Marc was a notary and Lucien had no doubt that he was the one looking after his father's business, given that Jean-Marc was _the_ notary very rich person goes to. Lucien cut him right away.

"Yes, I know about my father, that's exactly the reason why I'm calling you. I need you to transfer all of the money, including the property rights of the house."

"Yes, and I would need your details to do it."

"Non, you are not transferring any of it to me."

"Ah?"

A couple minutes later, Lucien was done explaining to Jean-Marc what he needed to do and he hung up. A minute later, the phone rang again.

"Allo?"

"Lucien, it's Caroline."

"Ah, oui, so! When will we have the pleasure to welcome you?"

"In 3 days."

"Great! That leaves some time to be organised. When you land, I will have arranged everything for you. Don't look for a hotel or anything. I am the one asking you to come so I am the one taking care of you."

"Oh, thank you very much Lucien but you really don't need to do all that!"

"On the contrary, it is most needed. Now, if you'll excuse me, I have yet to arrange some matters."

"Of course, sonny. See you then!"

As soon as Lucien hung up, he rushed to take his jacket and flew out of the flat, light on his feet like a wind breeze. He was very excited but needed to focus, to not forget anything.

_First, Marie-France._

He ran to the alley and arrived there, completely out of breath.

"Marie-France!? Maman?!"

He bent and put his hands on his knees to catch his breath. Marie-France emerged, her pigeons cooing around her.

"What?! Why are you shouting like that?!"

"For 2 reasons!"

He raised his index finger.

"One, I have transferred everything my late father left me to you."

"YOU DID WHAT?!"

Her shout echoed in the alley.

"Maman, you deserve more than that but that's all I have."

"Lucien, why did you do that?! I don't want any franc from your father!"

"You don't want any money from my father but you never said anything against _me_ giving you money. And listen, Mundy had a great idea. You take the house, turn it into an orphanage and you can have your own place. It will be a massive improvement for both you and the kids."

"I can't accept."

"You don't need to, it is already done."

She raised her eyes to meet her son's and sighed.

"Merci Lulu. But you shouldn't have."

"Yes I should have."

"And the second thing?"

Of course Marie-France knew what it would be about.

"Maman, je vais le faire dans 3 jours, je ne veux pas attendre plus longtemps. Tu peux m'aider?"

[Mum, I am doing it in 3 days, I can't wait any longer. Can you help me?]

She opened very wide eyes.

"What?! In 3 days?!"

"Oui, oui! There's no reason why I should delay."

She stood a meter away from Lucien, seriously, with both her hands on her cane.

"Come here."

Lucien took a step forward.

"Tell me what you want to do."

"Well, you know it already."

"Yes but you need to say it."

"Why? It is not going to change anything."

"Yes it will. You need to be able to say it out loud and take full responsibility of what that entails, Lulu. This is not a joke."

Lucien looked at her. He knew she was right. So he assumed a more serious tone.

"Maman?"

"Oui?"

He took a deep breath and looked at Marie-France dead in the eye. His heart woke up all of a sudden and raced in his ribcage. He stuck his chest out a bit and looked proudly at her, his chin slightly up.

"Je vais demander la main de Mundy."

[I will propose to Mundy.]

His throat went weird. He was trying to hold back tears when he saw that Marie-France did not. A droplet formed at the corner of her eye and betrayed the intense burst of pride and joy inside his mother's heart.

"J'ai besoin que tu approuves."

[I need you to approve of this.]

With a corner of her very large headscarf, she wiped her eyes. Seeing his mother like that, Lucien could not bear it anymore. He dropped to his knees and hugged her tightly. He buried his head in her neck, the headscarf absorbing his silent, happy tears. She wrapped her slim, fragile arms around her son and sobbed heavily.

"Oh mon fils...! Mon petit Lulu, finalement! Finalement! C'est ce que tu mérites! Je suis fière de toi mon Lulu, je t'aime et je suis fière de toi!"

[Oh my son...! My little Lulu, finally! Finally! You don't deserve anything less! I am proud of you my Lulu, I love you and I am proud of you!]

She paused to catch her breath and removed her arms from around her son. She put her fragile, skinny hands on Lucien's cheeks. Her small eyes were red with the tears. All the wrinkles on her face seemed to smile as she said:

"Bien sûr que j'approuve, tu as ma bénédiction."

[Of course I do approve of this, you have my blessing.]

"Aaaah!"

Lucien was so overjoyed he could not help but shout!

"Now, Lulu, you go get yourself prepared. I'll tell Jérémy and Mélanie. Do you need anyone in particular?"

"Maman, I trust you. You know me best. Get the people who need to be there for me."

"I will. Did you tell his parents?"

"Oui, that's why I'm waiting 3 days, that's when they will arrive."

"Très bien, now listen to me. Here is a list of things you need to not forget. Give me your hand."

Lucien extended his right hand to Marie-France. She took it and opened it fully. It was shaking slightly.

"First!"

She folded Lucien's little finger.

"You both need good tuxedos."

"Second."

She folded his ring finger.

"The rings. You'll have to think of something."

"Can you help me?"

"Yes."

"So please tell, what shall I go for?"

"Non."

"But you said you could help me."

"I said I could but I should never be the one telling you what rings you should get."

"What?"

"Lucien, this is about the both of you. Do not let anyone give you ideas or their opinions on what they should look like, do you hear me?"

She looked dead serious and Lucien felt like her gaze was as sharp as a dagger slicing through his very soul.

"Oui Maman."

She still maintained her piercing eyes up to Lucien's as if she could directly carve those words in the marble of Lucien's memory.

"Number 3..."

She folded Lucien's middle finger.

"... The music. You must sing the right song and again! Don't let anyone tell you what _they_ would sing. It is your choice and your choice _only._ "

Lucien nodded and for a second, Marie-France could see the obedient young boy that she had raised years that now felt like centuries ago. She saw his big bright blue eyes, his small nose and his pink lips. She blinked and her eyes opened not to a cute child but to an sublime, gorgeous man, soon to be married. His lips were thinner now and his nose slimmer but his eyes shone equally.

"Fine, I will try and choose a song on my own."

"Non."

"But you just said so!"

"Non. Listen."

Lucien squinted his eyes slightly, to pay full attention to what his mother was saying.

"You need to write it."

Lucien opened wide eyes.

"I neet to what?!"

"Lucien, it is the best way to make sure that it will be from you and from you only."

Lucien was terrified. His heart raced. He needed to write a song and a good one. Non, actually a breathtaking one. One that he will have written only for Mundy, to propose to him, to ask him to share his life for the rest of his days. It had to be a whole new level of good.

"Can I at least write it in French?"

"Lucien, I am not telling you. It has to be _all_ from you."

He looked overwhelmed, he raised his eyes and looked over Marie-France's head in the distance. Questions flew and raced, bouncing off the walls of his skull like bouncy balls.

_Click._

Marie-France snapped her fingers in front of Lucien's face.

"Uh?"

"You _will_ do it."

"I don't have much choice, do I?"

"Non, you don't. Also, you will do it brilliantly because you will write this song for him and you love him. It can but work."

She smiled at him. He returned the smile even though he was still anxious about it.

"Number 4..."

She folded his index finger.

"... The people. You have arranged for his parents to come, that is good. Does he have any friends that he presented to you in Australia?"

"Non, he is very solitary."

"Then I will arrange the rest of the people."

"Merci."

Lucien was pulling his hand back to him, thinking that Marie-France was done but she pulled it back firmly.

"Ah ah ah! There is one last thing."

"Oui?"

"And it is the one you have to start with."

"What is it?"

"You have to go somewhere."

"Where?"

Marie-France motionned him to come closer to her. He put a knee down to face her and be at eye-level with her. She raised her skinny index finger and Lucien felt a poke on his chest.

"There."

He raised his eyebrows in surprise.

"Oh?"

"I know that you are confident in this and, to be honest with you, Lulu, I know it will work. But, you have to go in there and ask yourself a few questions."

Lucien nodded obediently.

"If you get married, it's for life."

"Maman, if I could spend more than just my remaining days with him, I would."

"It's also to take care of him, whether he is healthy or sick, happy or sad."

"If he's sick, I'll do whatever it takes to heal him. If he's sad, I'll do the impossible to bring his smile back."

She smiled.

"Bien. Now go, _mon fils_ , go get prepared!"

He jumped back to stand up. He looked determined. Thanks to his mother, he knew what he had to do now and was going to tick every box on the list that Marie-France had drawn on the fingers of his hand. He turned his back and took his first step.

"Hey!"

Marie-France called him back. He turned.

"Aren't you forgetting something?"

She said, pointing at her cheek. Lucien smiled. The look of strong determination on his face vanished and turned into the soft endearing eyes of a young boy to his mother. He came back to Marie-France and kissed her cheek while whispering.

" _Merci Maman."_

[ _Thank you mum.]_

She smiled.

"Now go, and don't forget anything!"

Lucien ran back to town, feeling lighter on his feet than when he had arrived in the alley. He headed for the restaurant directly. Of course it was still a bit early so there weren't much customers. He entered and went to the bar.

"Ah! Bonjour Lucien!"

"Étienne!"

Lucien nodded and shook Étienne's hand.

"Can I have a word with you?"

"Sure, follow me, we'll go backstage."

_\-- Three days later --_

Mundy came back home after a day at the zoo. He found the flat empty. He was heading for a quick shower when the reflection of the sun of a large plastic package on the sofa caught his eye. He got closer.

_Oh, that's a tuxedo under the plastic... And there's a car_ _d._

He took the card in his hand and looked. Lucien's handwriting was soothing for the eyes. He only wrote in cursive and the loops for his letters were very beautiful.

_"Bonsoir mon chaton,_

_Enfile ce costume et rejoins-nous au restau' dès que tu peux._

_Ton Lucien."_

_[Good evening my love,_

_Put this tuxedo on and come to the restaurant as soon as you can._

_Signed: Your Lucien.]_

He smiled. It had been months that they were together but seeing " _your_ Lucien" rather than just "Lucien" at the end of the card made the butterflies in his stomach wake up. He looked at the tuxedo.

_White shirt, dark red velvet vest, white jacket and white trousers... Dark red bowtie... Oooh... fancy!_

In a couple minutes he got dressed.

_Might as well do something to my hai_ _r to go with all that_.

He went to the bathroom and looked at himself in the mirror. The tuxedo looked amazing but he thought that his face didn't match with it at all. He took the shaving foam and spread it across his cheeks. He then took the razor and started shaving, making sure his sideburns were impeccable. He washed what remained of the foam and looked at his face again.

_That's a start._

His eyes climbed his forehead and he looked at his hair.

_Good thing Lu' insisted on that haircut I got yesterday. It's really nice._

He took the comb and arranged it.

_Roight,_ _now I look decent._..

His eyes travelled down to his suit.

_... I even look fancy!_

He took his jacket and exited the flat. He walked in the streets. The heat had calmed down as the sun was starting to set. Passerbys looked at him weirdly as the bright white of his tuxedo shone brightly and contrasted with the dark red of his vest. He finally arrived in front of the restaurant. He pushed the door and entered.

"Oh, hello Mundy!"

"Ah, hey Étienne."

"You can go sit at your table, I'll bring you something to drink if you want."

"Oh, am I too early?"

"Non, non, you're just the first one to have arrived. But please, go ahead... And what do you want?"

Mundy sat at his usual table.

"Ehm, I suppose a lemonade is good."

Mundy looked around him. Meanwhile, Étienne quickly went to the restaurant door and stuck a sign on it.

" _Closed for tonight."_

He came back to Mundy with his lemonade.

"Very quiet tonight, don't you think? I mean usually the restaurant is crowded at this hour of the day."

"Oui, it's true. But it's the end of August, I guess people are enjoying their last few days of summer holidays."

"I guess you're right... But Étienne, c'mon, the whole place is empty! Who are we gonna play for tonight?"

Étienne smiled.

"I'm sure people will come, don't worry."

And before Mundy could add anything else, the French waiter had spun on his heels and went away, leaving the Australian to sip his cool beverage.

Étienne came back to the bar and gave a nod to one of the technicians, who proceeded and dimmed the lights. Mundy looked around him.

_Oh...?_

The sound of Pascal's piano started in a soft and slow melody.

[ _To the readers: Listen to "La Vie en Rose - Andrea Bocelli ft. Edith Piaf" on Youtube at the same time!]_

The right side of the curtain pulled away and Pascal appeared on the piano, finishing the introduction to the song. Then, Mundy's jaw dropped.

_"Des yeux qui font baisser les miens,_

_[Some eyes that make mine go down]_

_Un rire qui se perd sur sa bouche_

_[A laughter that gets lost on his mouth]_

_Voilà le portrait sans retouche,_

_[That is the portrait, without edits]_

_De l'homme auquel j'appartiens!"_

[ _Of the man to which I belong]_

The right side of the curtain had vanished and there Lucien was. He must have got a haircut on the day. It was very short on the sides, his temples light grey and longer on the top with a longer white tuft which was shining under the spotlight. He was dressed in a white tuxedo, similar to Mundy, but his vest was deep blue. The light from the spotlight shone brightly on his eyes which colour turned to a more vibrant shade of light blue, it also made his teeth pearly white. Mundy was awestruck. His breath had stopped. He had just noticed that his lover had been singing without a microphone. His voice nonetheless resonated powerfully and completely filled the room. What a forceful voice! He was singing his life out for his lover. If his voice was a bit shaky at first, he was now fully mastering it, guiding it with all his might to Mundy's heart. The latter was breathless in front of such an intense show. It seemed to him that Lucien's voice was so strong that it had created a compelling gust which was blowing Mundy's jacket open, the air flying between his fingers and his hair, cooling his very scalp and sending shivers everywhere. Lucien stopped singing for a moment where Pascal improvised a beautiful piece. Mundy heard something happen next to him. He turned his head.

"Bonsoir Mundy!"

Mélanie and Jérémy had entered and sat at their table, a couple meters away with... Marie-France! All three were impeccably dressed. Jérémy in a dark blue tuxedo with a white vest, Mélanie in a matching, slightly lighter blue long sating dress and Marie-France... Mundy had never seen her dressed any other way than with her usual patchwork long skirt and wide long sleeved t-shirt, her long headscarf covering her arms and hands. But tonight, she looked absolutely stunning. Mundy opened wide eyes. She was wearing a satin, light pink straight long skirt and a matching vest with a white shirt underneath. She had even freed her long white hair from the usual headscarf and arranged it into a beautiful bun, some locks of hair falling on her face delicately.

Marie-France, seeing how Mundy was staring at her, pointed her finger at Lucien and naturally, without consciously thinking, Mundy's eyes and head turned to follow the trajectory of her finger and he looked back at Lucien. The Frenchman stood proudly in the middle of the stage. Pascal was in the middle of his solo and Lucien extended his left arm and the left side of the curtain started rolling away.

_Oh bloody hell..._

Marie-France's children were all there, from the small and young Tito, to even George, who Mundy had left at the zoo.

_How did he get there?! He must have run like there's no tomorrow and he got time to change as well!_

There were all dressed in Navy blue tuxedos, even tiny Tito who looked like a mini version of a man in it. Lucien bowed at Mélanie, Jérémy and his mother. He raised his arm and from their table, something flew and landed on Lucien's shoulder. Mundy's jaw dropped.

_That's the baby falco! That's Lucien the falco! What the bloody hell-?!_

Mundy started jumping out of his chair but Mélanie had been quicker and had put her arm to block him. The Australian looked at her, astonished. He resumed his seat and his eyes went back to Lucien. The Frenchman turned, and motionned the kids to start singing as Pascal ended his solo.

The strong voices of the kids, amplified by a microphone was not enough to drown Lucien's voice, which still beautifully slashed through the choir of the children.

_" Quand il me prend dans ses bras,_

_[When he holds me in his arms.]_

_Qu'il me parle tout bas,_

_[When he whispers to me]_

_Je vois la vie en rose._

_[I see my life with rose coloured glasses]."_

Mundy was flabber-gasted. Now, Lucien's voice was carried and accompanied by the angelic voices of the children that he had spent his life helping. Mundy thought that if Lucien's younger self could see him now, he would be proud. He would, without doubt, think that he became _his man on the wall_ and actually, he had become much better than that.

_"Et dès que je l'aperçois_

_[And as soon as I catch a glimpse of him]_

_Alors je sens en moi_

_[Then I feel inside me]_

_Mon coeur qui baaaaaat!"_

_[My heart that beaaaaats!]_

Lucien maintained that last note for a long time, blowing Mundy's mind away. The kids soon stopped singing and Lucien did the same. Mélanie, Jérémy and Marie-France started applauding. Mundy was paralysed, he can't even remember if he applauded or not. He watched as the children started withdrawing from the stage and got a seat in the dining area, in the tables scattered there. Only the very young Tito stayed on stage. Mundy then felt something on his shoulder.

"G'd'evenin', Micky."

Mundy froze on his seat. He recognised that voice, of course he did. But it was impossible, his father could not possibly be in Paris. He slowly turned his head while he felt his insides burn with hope.

"Hey, Micky!"

Both his parents were there! They took a seat on each side of their son as he stared at them repeatedly, his eyes moving from one to the the other. His father looked extremely elegant, Mundy could not even remember the last time he had seen his father dress up like that. He was resplendent and his mother?

_Crickey!_

She was absolutely gorgeous in her light green long straight skirt and matching jacket. She was also wearing an impressive hat with white flowers. Mundy thought she looked like the Queen herself.

_What am I sayin'?! She looks a million times better!_

Caroline held Mundy's left hand in hers, squeezing it gently. Both his parents turned to face Lucien on stage. Mundy followed their gaze and looked at his lover.

_This has to be the best day of my life..._

Lucien had stopped singing. He extended his arm in Mundy's direction and his falco namesake spread his wings and flew to Mundy's shoulder. He then turned and motioned Tito to come to him. The small kid, who was visibly as comfortable in his mini tuxedo as Mundy was in his adult size one, took a few steps forward and gave Lucien a white box. The Frenchman crouched, took it and patted the child's head. Tito smiled and went to join Marie-France. Lucien sprang back up on his feet and looked serious for a second. He took a deep breath and motioned Pascal. The pianist nodded and started playing a lovely, slow jazz ballad tune. Mundy's eyes were now dreamy. He knew how well Lucien could sing on that style of melody.

Lucien adjusted his bowtie with one hand, holding the big box in his other one. He looked extremely determined.

" _Je te promets des jours tout bleus comme tes yeux_

_[I promise you some days as blue as your eyes]_

_Je te promets des nuits rouges comme les lèvre de ta bouche_

[ _I promise_ _you some nights as red as the lips on your mouth]_

_Je te promets la clé des secrets de mon âme_

_[I promise you the key to the secrets of my soul]_

_Je te promets la vie de mes rires à mes larmes_

[ _I promise you my life, from my tears to my laughs]"_

Lucien headed towards Mundy and got down the few steps that separated the stage from the dining area. The white spotlight followed him as he continued walking foward, his eyes set on Mundy, who for some reason, was sweating heavily, his heart racing in his chest.

_"Je te promets mon coeur, je prendrai soin de toi_

_[I promise you, my love, I will take care of you]"_

Lucien extended his arm in front of him.

_"Je te promets Mundy, je serai là pour toi_

_[I promise you Mundy, I'll be there for you]"_

The Frenchman closed his fist and pulled it back to his heart, looking down at it.

_"Pour les jours à venir jusqu'à la fin des temps_

_[For all the days to come, until the end of time]_

_Ma vie je veux écrire, avec toi comme amant._

_[My life I want to write, with you as a lover]"_

Lucien had arrived a meter away from his lover. He raised his head and Mundy saw tears in them. Like a reflex, tears also came in Mundy's eyes. He squeezed his mother's hand in his. The first song he had recognised immediately. La Vie en Rose. The classic and unreplacable number one French romantic song. But this one, he had never heard it before and judging by the fact that Lucien was now crying as he was singing Mundy understood.

_Bloody hell, he wrote that song for me._

Lucien put the big box on the table and Pascal stopped playing. Silence fell, a kind of silence where the atmosphere is so tense, one could solidly grasp the air in the room. Lucien motioned Mundy to open the box. Everyone was staring at him as he opened it and put a hand in. He felt something soft and warm. Because the lights were low he could barely see what is was. So he grabbed it delicately and put it on the table.

"Lucien...!"

The spotlight now moved to shine on the table. A tabby kitten was standing. Mundy gasped a put a hand in front of his mouth.

"Lucien..."

The Frenchman smiled, tears still in his eyes as the Australian was fighting against his urge to burst out sobbing. Suddenly, a reflection of the light on the kitten caught Mundy's attention. He delicately looked at the name on the young cat's collar.

_Micky._

He looked up at Lucien, speechless.

"And now Mundy, _amour de ma vie,_

[Love of my life]

Stand up please, so I can ask thee."

Mundy did not react. He was dumb-founded, paralysed after the waterfall of feelings Lucien made him go through. It was too much, way too much! Jérémy, Mélanie, Marie-France, the songs, the falco, the children, Caroline, Mike, and now a kitten. A _namesake_ _kitten._ Something broke his train of thought.

_Ouc_ _h!_

He thought. His father had given him a nudge with his elbow.

"Stand up, Micky."

"Uh-what?"

"Stand up!"

Mundy obeyed mechanically, not knowing where he was, when it was or who he was anymore. As he stood up, Lucien sank down. The shockwave of his knee hitting the floor propagated up Lucien's spine and he got shivers that he could not fight. He lightly wiggled his shoulders to shake them off. He raised his head up to Mundy who was doubting that any of this was actually happening. He looked at his lover's sky blue eyes as he saw him put a hand in his jacket pocket and retrieve a small velvet blue box. He opened it without ever diverting his intense and loving gaze from Mundy's eyes. And Lucien saw them moving down to the thin golden ring shining brightly on his pupils.

"Mundy, _veux-tu m'épouser,_ please, will you marry me?"

The whole room held their breath as for Mundy, everything around him had disappeared. The restaurant was no more, his parents, the rest of his now big family, were only blurry silhouettes. Only one thing was sure. Lucien, as gorgeous as ever, was kneeling in front of him and proposing to him. Mundy could not think, his mind was empty or maybe it was too full! The room was quiet but it was too loud in his head! He could only see the light blue eyes he had fallen for, months ago, when he had bumped on them in the streets and now, they were full of tears. He could only hear that voice, that subtle yet elegant French accent, saying those words. Words that are scary when they're not meant to make you laugh.

_Will you marry me?_

The words echoed in his head as he realised he could not speak. His mouth was dry and his vocal chords had vanished. There was only one way he could answer.

He put his hands on Lucien's cheeks and pulled him up. The Frenchman still staring deeply in his eyes, his eyebrows slightly moving up, giving him a light sad stare, as if he was now asking with his eyes. Mundy looked down at him and slowly, his lips pursed in a smile. He nodded and kissed him passionately in front of his whole family who stood up as one big wave and were now shouting and applauding loudly in the restaurant. Hell! Even the staff was applauding! Marie-France's kids were cheering loudly and Falco Lucien flew back to Mélanie. Lucien laced his arms around his lover, his tears flowing but a smile on his lips. He broke the kiss but still held Mundy in his arms. Both men were shaking. The Australian too, hadn't removed his hands from his slim cheeks and, bending slightly, he put his forehead on Lucien's. They wanted that embrace to last forever. Mundy wiped Lucien's tears with his thumbs.

"So, you're givin' me that ring?"

Lucien nodded and took Mundy's left hand in his. He took one ring out of the box and inspected it. Before he put it on Mundy's finger, he raised it in front of his lover's eyes. Mundy squinted slightly before he managed to read what was engraved on the inside.

_À mon chaton._

_[To my kitten.]_

The Australian smiled and his cheeks went pink. His lover slid the ring on his finger. Mundy then took the other ring and looked on the inside.

_To my panther._

He smiled and nodded as if to approve with the engraving. He took Lucien's left hand in his. Before putting the ring on, he looked down at his now fiancé. Lucien raised his head to look at the taller man. He smiled. Mundy slid the golden ring in.

_**\-- Author's notes --** _

Thanks y'all for reading! :D

I hope you're not _too dead_ after this one :D !!

Please leave a comment, it's greatly appreciated!!

Special thanks to the discord crew for givong me _da fowce!_ And very special thanks to my favourite gecko.

The song Lucien wrote is heavily inspired by "je te promets" by Johnny Hallyday.

\- notary = a lawyer that takes care of the last will of someone (it's a concept we have in France)

See y'all around for 49 (and prepare your tissues, I don't have much ideas left...!)


	49. Chapter 49

Mundy opened his eyes. Birds were chirping and the sunlight was coming through the thin slits of the shutters. He looked around him. Somehow he had managed to make it home with Lucien, who was sleeping on him, hugging him tightly. On the floor, the white jackets and trousers, as well as the vests and shirts were scattered across the room. From the bed he could see the small cat bed in which Micky the kitten was sleeping.

Mundy (the human this time) tried to remember the previous night. The amount of wine and champagne he had had at the restaurant was now making his head ache slightly. He frowned and blinked a couple times. He moved his left hand to put it on Lucien's back when he felt something weird between his fingers.

_The ring._

He looked at his lover who seemed like he was sleeping deeply. The Australian's eyes went on Lucien's left hand. He had to look down on his chest, where Lucien had laid it flat. Mundy crossed his eyes slightly and then smiled.

_He has his too. It wasn't a dream. We really are..._

He didn't finish his thought as suddenly, the memories of the previous night came to him like a fresh wave of sea in winter, washing his mind from the inside. How could he forget...?

"Don't drink too much, mon amour, I don't want you to forget any of this!"

On their table were now Lucien, sat next to Mundy, his parents and Marie-France. On another table were the young lovebirds, Mélanie and Jérémy. Finally, the kids were occupying 2 bigger tables. Étienne and the staff had prepared an excellent dinner as Lucien had been very strict with the instructions. He knew exactly what he wanted to be served, how it had to be prepared and with which wines to accompany it all. When he had talked to the chef a couple days before, Étienne remembered how he heard him shout from the bar! The waiter had smiled. He knew Lucien could get angry, of course, and his fits could be scary. But he wanted everything to be perfect and for once, Étienne could understand his perfectionism.

Mundy was loving his time.

"Nah, I won't drink too much, luv', don't worry."

He said, bending to his left side to leave a kiss on his lover's cheek. Lucien blushed intensely.

_Mon Dieu, he finally calls me 'love' in front of people!_ _And the kiss on the cheek!_

Lucien felt his heart burst in his chest. In an instant, his mind rolled back in time to that first night they had spent backstage, those first few moments, the very decisive ones. Those moments where Mundy was afraid to admit _even to himself_ that he had feelings for Lucien. Those moments when Mundy was fighting his own self, his own guts wanting Lucien but his head denying it. That whirlwind of conflicting feelings he had been fighting was now but a souvenir, or even less. Mundy was now so sure of himself, so convinced that Lucien was the right man for him that he now wondered. Did that whole period of doubting, struggling with himself even ever exist at all? He smiled to himself. He was holding Lucien's hand on the table. They looked ridiculous, holding hands and trying to eat at the same time. But they loved each other too much to let their hands part. In any case, they were finishing their dessert.

"When did you arrive? How did you even-?

Caroline smiled.

"You owe all this to your fiancé, Micky."

Mundy turned his head to Lucien. The Frenchman smiled proudly and Caroline continued.

"When you came to Australia, he asked us both if he could ask your hand."

The Australian's jaw dropped and his eyes widened.

"You did what?!"

Lucien nodded.

"It is necessary. Besides, I know how much you love and care about your parents. I had to ask them first."

Mundy's eyes went back to his parents. He was speechless again.

"He came to see me first." Said Mike.

"We had a serious chat about it, Micky. But to be fully honest, at first I got weirded out. I mean c'mon, a bloke askin' another bloke's hand?"

"Mike!"

Caroline protested.

"Roight, roight... Anyway, he didn't need to say much to convince me. It's seeing you _that_ happy when you're with him that persuaded me. With your mum, we'd talk about it at length at night, when you both were out with the van."

"Yeah, Micky, and we realised something. We couldn't remember the last time you were that happy and that scared us, it really did."

Caroline looked at her husband, a sad look on her face. Mike resumed his speech.

"Yeah, your mum's roight. That's why when Lucien came to me, the first thing that came to my mind was your smile."

Caroline took her husband's hand.

"We just want you to be happy, Micky. So, without even talking about it between ourselves, we both instantly agreed. Lucien didn't need to say anything more than what you already had shown. Besides, we had caused enough damage to you as it was."

Mike nodded.

"I said to Lucien that it was _yo_ _ur_ decision to make. But of course..."

Caroline cut him, a big smile on her lips.

"Of course we said yes and deep down, we both wished you'd accept. We want to continue seeing you that happy, son. That's what you deserve, nothing less."

Mundy blushed and smiled, closing his eyes. He was moved by the fact that both his parents had accepted without hesitation.

"Well... I... Erm... I don't know what to say really... Thanks mum and thank you dad too."

Both parents smiled.

_\-- Later that evening --_

"You sure you don't want me to call you a taxi?"

Everyone had now exited the restaurant. A taxi had come to take Mundy's parents back to their hotel. Marie-France and her kids were off on foot. Étienne was locking the restaurant and seeing that Mundy and Lucien had maybe a bit too much to drink, he was slightly worried.

"Nah, I'll carry the princess home!"

Mundy bent and swept Lucien off his feet, carrying him in his arms. The Frenchman was holding the box with the kitten.

"Woo!"

Lucien laughed and snorted slightly, lacing his arms around his prince's neck.

"Well, good night to you too then!"

"Thank you, Étienne, for everything."

Mundy said, his lovers in his arms.

"Thank Lulu! He set everything up!"

Mundy looked at his lover deviously and growled, barely loud enough for Lucien to hear.

" _Oh, I will..."_

Mundy turned and started walking home. It was the evening, quite late, but the Paris of the day was still roaming the streets. The night Paris was waking up, but was hardly showing up yet. People were pointing and staring at the new fiancés.

"Hey! Ça va pas non?!"

[Hey! Something's wrong in your head!?]

Mundy's ears pricked up. He stopped walking. The voice had come from behind him. He spun on his heels.

"Pardon?" He simply asked.

"Ça va pas bien vous et votre ami?! Pourquoi vous le portez comme ça?"

[What's wrong with you and your friend? Why are you carrying him like that?!]

All the passerbys had stopped walking and were now watching. Mundy took a couple steps forward and was now a meter away from the man who shouted at him. Of course, Mundy was taller, so he was towering him, Lucien still in his arms, curious how his fiancé will handle the situation. The Frenchman raised his head and opened wide eyes, his pupils going the size of a planet. Mundy was smirking, his eyes shining fiercely, a very confident look on his face. Lucien was melting. At that precise moment, his fiancé was carrying him in his arms, in the open, in the streets of Paris, for everyone to see. At the same time, as Lucien's eyes stared at Mundy, he felt his stomach and his insides in general warm up. He was clean-shaved apart from his sideburns, which Lucien loved. His caramel coloured hair was impeccably done, only bending slightly under the very light night breeze. As he was smirking, the few lines on his face, those at the corner of his eyes, caused by the years he had spent in the Australian desert, made him look even more attractive in Lucien's eyes. His thin lips only pursed in a devious and confident half-smile completing the impression that Mundy was on the verge of ending that random man.

Mundy answered, still looking at that man dead in the eye.

"Mon amour, tu veux bien montrer ton alliance au monsieur ? Je vous l'aurais bien montrée moi-même mais comme vous pouvez le voir, j'ai les mains occupées à porter l'amour de ma vie dans mes bras."

[My love, could you please show the man your ring? I would have shown you mine as well but as you can see, my arms are busy carrying the love of my life.]

Lucien's jaw dropped as for once, _the kitten did surprise him._ The random passerby open wide eyes. He stood there, with nothing to say back at Mundy. A moment of silence passed. The Australian smiled, nodded slightly, turned on his heels and walked away, sticking his chest out like a proud cockerel, at which point Lucien had completely turned into liquid...!

_\-- At the flat --_

Both men entered the flat, Lucien still in Mundy's arms. Now that they were alone, Lucien pulled on Mundy's neck and kissed him. He was aiming for the cheek but Mundy turned his head and gave him his lips, kicking the door with his foot behind him. Lucien broke the kiss and said.

"You can put me down, I'm heavy enough!"

"I don't want to!"

"Let me at least put Micky down?"

"Alright..."

Mundy let Lucien down. The Frenchman freed the small kitten from its box and walked to the corridor. The Australian stretched his arms and watched as his namesake followed Lucien. The latter went to the bathroom and soon exited with a cat bed in his hand. He put it on the floor and the kitten jumped it. Lucien crouched and stroked it.

"I should have got you a tiger cub."

Mundy had come and crouched next to him.

"Whot?"

Lucien raised his eyes off the kitten and looked at _his original one_.

"What you said to that man on the street, you really surprised me."

Mundy smiled proudly.

"Really?"

Lucien blushed and looked down at the kitten, to avoid his lover's gaze.

"I... I..."

He stopped stroking the kitten.

"Come with me, I can't say it in front of him, he's but a child."

Mundy was surprised that Lucien considered the kitten almost like a human being now but he followed his lover to the bedroom and shut the door behind him. Lucien sat at the edge of the bed, he gathered his hands such that he stuck the fingertips of the right hand on those of the left one and he held his hands on his lap, close to him.

"So, tell me?"

Mundy sat next to him. Lucien's eyes were locked on the floor.

"You are going to mock me and find it ridiculous."

Mundy opened wide eyes. He put a hand on his lover's shoulder.

"Whatever it is, I won't mock you. I love you too much for that."

Lucien smiled slightly. Mundy watched as the Frenchman's eyes travelled from the floor, up his legs and stopped where his hands were, on his lap, touching his belt. He removed them slowly, and wrapped his arms around himself, as if to give himself strength and comfort.

"I managed to hold _it_ back when you carried me in front of the restaurant. But I couldn't when you confronted that passerby... And thank God I had the box on my lap to hide it..."

Mundy's eyes widened as, when Lucien removed his hands, the trousers were taut right under his lover's belt.

"Oh..."

"I'm sorry, it's ridiculous but the way you looked when you talked to that man, seeing so much confidence in your eyes, so much bravery to just defend _us_... It... well... It had an effect that was so intense that for the first time since a very long time, I could not hold anything back, my apologies, mon amour."

Mundy was sat on Lucien's left. He removed the hand from his lover's shoulder and put his index finger under Lucien's chin, pulling slowly, so that the Frenchman looked at him. Lucien let Mundy lead his face towards him first, then downwards. Lucien's eyes travelled from Mundy's eyes, to his nose, his thin lips, his chest, his stomach, his waist and-

Lucien's eyes widened. Mundy smiled and said:

"See? Not only do I not mock you, but I agree with you."

Mundy released the Frenchman's chin and put his hand on Lucien's thigh, his eyes locked on the Frenchman. Lucien felt his lover's warm hand travel up his thigh at the same time as Mundy's face was getting closer to his own. The Frenchman's breath stopped as only an inch separated their faces and Mundy's hand had reached his belt. The room was silent and the Australian was looking at the Frenchman dead in the eye. The latter was hypnotised and could only be the markman's victim. He had lost any ability to fight back. He knew that if he tried using his legs to stand up, he would collapse.

By staring at his eyes, Mundy was making sure that _he_ was the one in charge. So confidently, he proceeded. Lucien could not divert his gaze from Mundy's, his sightline was trapped and fully controlled by his lover. The Frenchman, powerless, listened as the sound of the leather of his belt slid against its metal square ring. The light pop sound of his trouser's button giving away soon followed. He couldn't breathe and he felt the blood beat in his temples. His mouth went dry as he heard the slow continuous zip of his trousers giving in, as Mundy took out the obstacles to his own essential vulnerability, one by one.

"Lu', I would never mock you for feeling like that."

Mundy was speaking so softly he might as well have been growling. Lucien was hung on his lover's lips, drinking every word like some holy water, expecting the next ones like a godly blessing.

"I take it as a compliment that you react that way."

His hands jumped up to Lucien's shoulders and pushed the jacket away. Lucien was paralysed. The Australian removed it and dropped in on the floor. He removed his own one and his fingers went to his lover's lips.

"It is the ultimate compliment after all."

He delicately brushed the tip of his fingers on Lucien's lips which sent shivers down the Frenchman's spine. His fingers then traced their way down to his vest. He started undoing the buttons, one by one.

"This is you..."

_Pop._

"Former spy..."

_Pop._

"Trained to kill..."

_Pop._

"Trained to lie..."

_Pop_ , the last button yielded.

"But incapable of resisting me still."

Mundy removed his lover's vest and dropped it on the floor. He removed his, quickly. His hands then came back to Lucien's belt. He pulled it, slowly.

"It is the best unspoken compliment."

The belt removed, Mundy put a hand flat on Lucien's chest and pushed. The Frenchman bent backwards under his lover's command and saw the world around him dive upside down as he got to lay on the bed. Mundy disappeared from Lucien's field of view.

"Also,..."

Lucien felt something on his feet. Mundy was unlacing his shoes and removing them.

"You have the same effect on me. And who can resist you?"

Mundy quickly removed his shoes without unlacing them and got rid of his trousers and bowtie. He was now only in his shirt and pants. Lucien had lost his ability to think a long time ago now and was just focusing on his lover's speech.

"Men and women would queue for miles to spend a night with you."

Mundy took Lucien's trousers and pulled down, delicately.

"Most would even want more than just one night."

Mundy climbed back on the bed and got on top on Lucien, resting his body weight on his arms and legs than he had placed around his lover.

"But you chose me."

Mundy put his teeth on Lucien's bowtie and pulled. The knot flowed open and the Frenchman raised his chin up, asking for more. The Australian raised his head. He was towering the Frenchman, his face above the other's and the navy blue satin bowtie flowing down to his face. Mundy unclenched his jaw and the satin ribbon fell on Lucien's face. The Australian took it in his hands and looked down at his lover with a smile. He put the cloth on his eyes and tied it around his head. Lucien closed his eyes and breathed faster, opening his mouth slightly.

"And I? I feel like the luckiest man alive."

As his eyes were forcefully closed, Lucien focused on his other senses. He could smell Mundy's cheap yet addicting cologne and as his partner was moving, he created faint waves of cool air that scraped his skin delicately. He got goosebumps and felt his hairs everywhere react to his lover's movements.

"Mmh..."

Mundy had put his lips on his lover, slowly. At the same time, he was popping open the buttons of the shirt on the Frenchman and he slid his warm hands in, stroking his lover, massaging his chest, feeling it raising up under his carresses. Lucien laced his arms around Mundy's neck and pulled him down. The Australian smiled. The temperature rose and he couldn't bear his shirt anymore. Without leaving Lucien's lips, he got rid of it and threw it away. The Frenchman gave a break to his lover but when he felt Mundy coming back to him, his yearning was so intense...! He put his hands on Mundy's face, pulling it to him strongly. The Australian was delighted to see his lover wanting more. Lucien curled a leg behind his lover's back and pulled him close. This time, Mundy was trapped and had no other choice but to go chest on chest.

Both men were stuck to each other now, the Frenchman making sure with all his members that his lover would not escape him. Mundy loved it. He loved feeling that Lucien, the most handsome man he had ever seen, the most sought after gentleman of Paris, was now craving _him_. Mundy wanted to surprise Lucien a bit so this time, he lead the dance in his mouth. He had enough experience to now know exactly what Lucien liked. And it did not fail. When Mundy added his tongue to the play, the Frenchman let a long moan of pleasure out and slid his hand around his lover's back, scratching it slightly with his nails. Mundy growled, he loved it when his sneaky and loving panther used his claws. The scratching moved down until it pulled Mundy's last layer of clothing down. He smiled and got rid of his pants and Lucien's.

But soon, the panther moved on to use something else and it surprised Mundy. The Frenchman was asking for something new. He had removed his leg from Mundy's back as the Australian was pressed against him tightly enough. Mundy was indeed lying on him. But Lucien had started raising his pelvis and rubbing it against Mundy's, repeatedly.

The Australian broke the kiss for an instant. He was anxious. The Frenchman insisted. Mundy blushed in shame and went to his lover's ear. He whispered.

" _Do you really want that?"_

Lucien nodded.

" _Oui."_

Mundy felt uncomfortable.

" _I... I never did it before, I don't know how..."_

Lucien smiled.

_"Neither have I. But I want you."_

Mundy was still unsure.

" _I... You... I mean..."_

Lucien kissed his lover's cheek.

_"You don't want to?"_

The Frenchman stopped everything he was doing and went to remove the cloth around his eyes.

"Mon amour, tell me."

Mundy was confused.

"I.. Of course I want you with all my being. It's just that..."

Lucien extended his right arm on the bed and pushed Mundy to lie on it and use it as a pillow. The Australian obeyed and put his head on the Frenchman's shoulder.

" _Maintenant mon chaton, tu me dis."_

[Now my kitten, you tell me.]

Mundy sighed.

"You know I haven't done any of this with anyone else before."

"Oui..."

Lucien was massaging his lover's head, losing his fingers in his dark caramel hair.

"... But you don't want to do it? It's fine if you don't. I will never force you to do anything, mon coeur."

Mundy went silent for a moment. Lucien respected that and waited for his lover to collect his thoughts.

"Can I be brutally honest with you?"

"Oui, of course."

"I've always wanted to do it with you. From that first night we spent together..."

Lucien's eyebrows jumped up.

"Really?!"

Mundy nodded slightly, ashamed.

"Problem is, I don't know anything about... well... _how_... And also, I knew you're used to ladies so, yeah... Bah, sorry..."

Lucien closed his eyes for a second.

"But you've always wanted me _that much_?" The Frenchman asked.

"Yeah... Yeah."

Lucien opened his eyes and turned his head to look at his lover. Mundy raised his eyes to meet the Frenchman's.

"Then, my body is yours. _Do with it what you wish."_

Mundy's pupils went the size of a planet, his mouth opened on its own.

"W-what?"

"You heard me, mon chaton. Tonight, and for the rest of my days, I'm yours only and I'm yours entirely."

Mundy had tears in his eyes, his lips trembling. Lucien smiled at him and put the back of his hand on his fiancé's cheek.

"Pourquoi tu pleures?"

[Why do you cry?]

"I never thought this day would arrive..."

He turned and buried his head in Lucien's chest, crying. The Frenchman hugged him.

"Listen Mundy..."

He raised his head.

"Give me your hand."

Mundy extended his right hand.

"Non, the other one."

He obeyed and Lucien took it.

"See this?"

The Frenchman was pointing at the ring and Mundy nodded.

" _This_ means that you're now Mundy de Beauregard. _This_ means I give you my name but also my body, my soul, everything."

Lucien's eyes went to Mundy's and were shining fiercely.

"Mundy, if I offered that ring to you, it's not just to offer you a jewel. It's my whole being that I yield to you. And on top of that, I take responsibility of you, I take care of you, I love you and cherish you for as long as I breathe and even after, do you hear me?"

Mundy's tears hadn't stopped flowing.

"From now on, I want you to be happy, to be free. Free to say whatever you want to say, to feel whatever you want to feel, to love me the way you want to want to love me. Be free Mundy, be-"

The Australian had jumped on his lover's lips and kissed him passionately while still crying. He climbed back on top of his lover and kissed him eagerly, as if Lucien was a sweet pastry and Mundy was dying of hunger, breaking the kiss only to whisper " _thank you_ " or _"I love you"_. His lips moved down to Lucien's neck. And the Frenchman felt the Australian's hand was moving much more down south.

Suddenly Mundy stopped kissing. He put his lips next to Lucien's ear.

_"You're ready?"_

Lucien smiled. He slightly turned his head, and their eyes locked.

"For you? I've always been."

Mundy smiled and put his lips on Lucien's. The Frenchman closed his eyes. He felt that Mundy was still hesitating. So, to help him, he slid his hand along his body, down and wrapped his hand around Mundy's. He pulled it to him. Mundy resisted a bit at first but he wanted it too much, and his lover wanted it too, so he gave in.

"Oh..."

Lucien arched his back up and dug his nails in Mundy's back.

" _Oh mon Dieu..."_

Mundy was taking his time. He didn't want to rush nor did he want to hurt his lover. But Lucien was still pulling, to make him go faster.

The Australian was in the locomotive of the train. He knew where he needed to go and his mind was set. He pulled on the lever to release the brakes. The imposing train started, the locomotive releasing a cloud of smoke. Mundy stood there and looked at the horizon. The long metal snake sped up slowly and soon enough, slid through the French countryside. It was a lovely view for him. The sky was very light blue and the wheat and crop fields spreaded as far as the eye could see. He sat and let the powerful engine roar and carry him away. Meanwhile, he had no idea that a Frenchman had jumped on the train and desperately wanted him. He was quite far in the train but he was running through the cars one by one, in the direction of the locomotive. He wanted to get the Australian and travel with him, see the world with him. He didn't care about the distance, the tiredness and the heat in there. No, he just cared about being with him. So he went and ran, jumped and leaped, pushing the cars behind him like the pearls on a necklace.

They were both sweating heavily and their mouths were dry. But Lucien could feel that Mundy was not just enjoying himself. He was fulfilling a dream. He was living something that he had dreamt about for years, even decades and resorted to think that it would never happen. But there he was. And who was he with? No less than the extremely attractive Lucien de Beauregard who _loved him back._

The Frenchman jumped on another car where he bumped onto an inspector.

"Your ticket Sir?"

He panicked. He had hopped on the train without paying for a ticket or anything. Any fine he would get from the inspector would be nothing compared to the pain of seeing the Australian leave him. So he had just jumped on the train without thinking about anything else.

"I don't have a ticket, fine me, arrest me if you want but I need _him._ "

He shoved the inspector aside and ran away.

"Hey! Stop there!"

The inspector started chasing him but the Frenchman held his béret on his head and kept on running.

Their moans grew louder as both were discovering new universes. Lucien was appreciating the delicateness and respect that Mundy showed. Despite everything, the Australian was focusing on his lover's and his own well-being, nothing else. And at heart, that's what Lucien loved in him, that kindness and selflessness. Even in situations like these, where Lucien remembered that he had been, countless times, more selfish than loving, Mundy was proving him wrong. _This_ was the way to do it properly. Lucien was amazed. He was infinitely more experienced, at least with ladies, but Mundy, for whom it was a first was doing it better than the Frenchman had ever done.

There were now multiple inspectors chasing the Frenchman through the cars. He did not care, he had one target and one only. And it was there, in his heart. Only a couple cars now separated him from his goal. Because of the adrenaline, he did not feel breathless, he did not feel anything but the anticipation burning in him, devouring him like the flames would a love letter that was thrown in the fireplace.

"Stop there Sir! You're trapped, there's no way out!"

He slammed the door of the locomotive open and shut it behind him quickly, blocking it by leaning on it. The Australian got startled. His eyes widened as he looked in shock at his lover. He did it! He did jump on the train, to travel with him! The Frenchman left the door and jumped in the Australian's arms.

"They're coming, they're behind me and we have nowhere to go and escape!"

The Australian looked at him.

"There is a way out."

He paused before asking.

"Do you trust me?"

The Frenchman looked up at his eyes.

"Yes, I do."

The door burst open. Half a dozen inspectors were standing there, breathing heavily.

"Stowaway, you're under arrest!"

The Australian opened the side door of the locomotive. The inspectors opened wide eyes as they saw through that door that the train was flying at full speed on a bridge, high above the river underneath. The Frenchman hugged the Australian tightly. He looked up at him and nodded. They only took a split second to hold their breaths and both jumped. They fell for a moment which seemed like an eternity during which their grip on each other tightened. If anything was to happen to them, they wanted it to happen having shared their last moments in each other's arms. They didn't look at the river growing bigger and bigger under them.

Lucien was moaning loudly and Mundy was growling equally. As the Australian was getting closer, his lover held him tighter.

"Lucien..."

They were both breathily heavily as the air seemed to have thinned. Mundy slid a hand down along Lucien's body and wrapped his fingers around his-

" _Oh! Mon Dieu!!"_

[ _Oh! My God!!]_

Lucien's whole body tensed and jerked up.

_"_ _I love you, Lu'... I love you... I love you..."_

Lucien had closed his eyes and was focusing on what Mundy was doing. If he was very inexperienced, he was nonethless very skilled and knew exactly what to do for Lucien's blood to rush to his head in a continuously growing wave.

"Mundy...?"

Lucien wrapped his legs between Mundy's back and strongly pulled him closer.

"Lucien...!"

"Oh mon Dieu, Mundy... I...!"

"Me too love, me too...!"

They hit the river at full speed and as they did so, Mundy dived in Lucien's mouth. The Frenchman tried to reciprocate the kiss but he had to open his mouth to let a shout out. Their bodies tensed up, clenched everywhere. Their grip to each other tightened and for a second they lost all and any thinking capability. As the storm passed, they were breathing heavily on his each other's face. Mundy put his forehead on Lucien's, not moving his body an inch from the position it was. At that precise moment, they were only one. One couple. One force. One love. One body.

Mundy withdrew as slowly and delicately as he could and laid flat on his back next to Lucien. Ther ther were, laying next to his other, immobile like 2 starfish on the shore, their bodies exhausted but their hearts full. They were both still panting and catching their breath, their bodies still sweaty and fuming after the heat of the moment. Lucien was on Mundy's left. He slid his hand on the satin sheets of the bed and found his lover's. He touched it, shyly as if to ask:

" _Are you alright?"_

The answer he received satisfied him more than he could have imagined even though at first, he was confused. Mundy removed his hand quickly after Lucien touched him, which the Frenchman interpreted as _"leave me alone"._ But no, that's not what the Australian meant at all. He slid an arm under Lucien's back and curled it back to himself, guiding him to lie in his arm. Lucien opened a leg and curled it around Mundy's stomach. The Australian then put a hand on Lucien's cheek, as the Frenchman was resting his head on his lover's shoulder now.

"I love you Lucien. You're more and better than anything I have ever hoped for."

Lucien smiled.

"I love you madly, Mundy, more than my poor English could describe. You're my reason to live."

Lucien pulled himself up, so that his lips met Mundy.

"Thank you."

"De rien."

[You're welcome.]

Lucien laid his hand flat on Mundy's chest and both fell asleep, exhausted but more in love that they could imagine was possible. Mundy fell asleep quicker than his fiancé, who watched him sleep.

_Have a good night of sleep, Mundy, for this was not my only surprise for you._

_**\-- Author's notes** _ _**\--** _

Thank you guys for reading! I hope you enjoyed this _last_ _spicy_ chapter. And yes, get the tissues out, next chapter will be the **last** one for Solitude...!

Mega thanks for the Discord crew and Crows for their help :)

See y'all around for the final chapter!


	50. Chapter 50 - Fin

Mundy had opened his eyes now. He was looking at the ceiling, a hand on his lover. He did not realise it but he was smiling to himself.

_What a story..._

His mind rolled back to the very beginning.

" _Oi, watch where you're goin' mate! Shoving people like that, I swear...!"_

Lucien's damaged hand. Mundy is patching it up. Lucien vanishes. He comes back, with pastries.

" _By the way, my name is Luc."_

The deal: French lessons in exchange for taking care of his hand. The visit at the zoo. The caramel apple.

" _Pomme d'amour in French."_

Then the question that started it all.

" _I would like to invite you to dinner."_

The car ride where Lucien had guessed it.

" _I understand Monsieur is not a ladies' man, but prefers men."_

The dinner, the songs and then, the talk.

_"I am Lucien, the former Spy on your team at Mann Co and I love you madly."_

The first night they spent together and the next day, the doubts, the rage.

" _GO AWAY!"_

And that answer that made his heart melt.

" _I am in love with you, madly, and it would be an honour for me to spend what time I have left on this earth with you."_

That dramatic phone call that nearly ended their relationship, had it not been for Marie-France. Marie-France. Mundy remembered how she had described him.

"You got a rare one there Lulu. Take care of him. He can be fragile but he has grown a thick skin over the years. He is a good man, delicate, kind hearted and he will think of you before he thinks of himself. That's what years of solitude does to you when you're kind hearted. It makes you even kinder."

What a lady... And then, the first time he called him a kitten, when he tried to sneak up on him, only to have his reflection on a teapot betray him...!

Jérémy's arrival. Mélanie. That night Lucien broke in the zoo for Mundy and sang for him, Jérémy's man on the wall, Australia, Mundy's parents and...!

Mundy looked at his left hand.

_The ring._

His eyes shot back to the ceiling and he took a deep breath.

_What an adventure. Who would have thought? Me with someone. Me with the spook!_

Lucien moved on his fiancé's chest.

"Oui, you with 'the spook' and me with 'Bushman', quite unbelievable..."

"You were reading my mind again?!"

"Mm-mmh..."

The Frenchman raised his head and opened his eyes slowly.

"Mornin' luv'."

"Bonjour mon amour."

"You mind if I get a shower?"

"Not at all."

Mundy looked down on his chest. Lucien had laced his arms around his torso and was not letting go of him.

"Uh... Lu'...?"

The Frenchman smiled.

"Can you let go of me?"

Lucien smirked.

"Why would I?"

"Well, so that I can take a shower!"

Silence fell for a second.

"Non!" Lucien protested.

"Oh, look at you now, you're the clingy kitten!"

The Frenchman's ears pricked up. He raised his head and Mundy saw the blue of his eyes flashing fiercely between his front white locks of hair.

"Oh, you think I act like a kitten now?"

Mundy smirked and nodded.

"You are the petit chaton."

[small kitten.]

Mundy raised his eyebrows.

"Try and prove me wrong then!"

Lucien's lips pursed into a devious half smile. He wiggled his eyebrows while crawling up to Mundy's ear. He whispered.

" _Do not. Tempt. Me."_

Mundy smiled, turned his head slightly and looked at Lucien, seeming overconfident. The Frenchman open wide eyes, his pupils dilating. Mundy raised one eyebrow and Lucien's mouth opened on his own. The Australian now knew very well that his fiancé could not resist it when he went in a more dominating position. Mundy took advantage of the Frenchman being charmed for a second and made him turn on the bed so that he was now towering Lucien. He dived in his neck and kissed, licked and bit aggressively. Lucien got taken aback! He gasped loudly and held his breath, losing his fingers in his lover's hair. But Mundy withdrew and got off the bed.

"Wait?!"

"Well, that was the only way to get you out of me so that I could finally take my shower!"

"Did you just-?! Uh, fine, go ahead..."

Mundy grabbed some boxer shorts and shut the bathroom door behind him. Lucien got out of the bed and went to the bathroom door.

"But you owe me, Bushman! You hear me?"

"Alroight!"

Lucien rolled up his eyes, smiling. He took a gown and went to the kitchen for breakfast. Meanwhile, Mundy was thoughtful as he was showering.

_I could try one last time..._

He smiled to himself.

_I will!_

He finished his shower and exited the bathroom. He only put on a pair of boxer shorts. He heard Lucien in the kitchen, busy preparing breakfast and singing to himself.

_Roight, now, where is the invisibility watch again...?_

He looked in the drawer of the night table on Lucien's side and found it.

_Ha! Got'cha!_

He put it and switched it on. He smiled deviously.

_Oh, you're never gonna see me coming this time, no reflection on a teapot, no nothing! And you don't know I took your invisibility watch!_

Mundy walked as silently as he could, his ears were pricked up and he was being very careful that even his feet met the carpet as delicately as he could. Last time, Lucien found him out because of his heartbeat. Mundy had been too nervous. But this time the Australian mastered his breath so that even his heart slowed down. He took a couple steps through the corridor and relied on his ears, eyes and nose to guess what Lucien was doing. His nose told him that the Frenchman had prepared an omelette. His ears told him he was making coffee and his eyes...

He peaked through the kitchen door and saw Lucien in his white satin kimono. The sun was shining brightly and he was in front of the window so that Mundy could see through the cloth, the delicate silhouette of his lover's body. Lucien was quite slim, even though each time he sat on Mundy's lap, the Australian would complain about his weight. Of course, deep down, he loved having him on his lap.

Mundy's eyes were stuck on Lucien. Through the delicate, glistening white cloth, he saw the thin yet long and graceful legs, the v-shape of his slender body. The window was open and a draft entered, lifting the Frenchman's gown and unravelling it. Mundy's pupils dilated.

_He looks like an angel... My angel..._

His eyes went to Lucien's delightful shoulders. The Australian wished he could slide his finger between the cloth and the Frenchman's skin and uncover at least part of a shoulder, brush his lips against it... But now was not the time.

"Oh, bonjour Micky."

Mundy froze, he thought that Lucien had found him out. The Frenchman looked down. Micky the kitten was rubbing himself against his legs, mewling shyly. His fur was softly stroking Lucien's ankles.

"I guess you want your food, hm?"

The Frenchman took a small bowl and filled it with Micky's food. He then crouched down and put it on the floor.

"There you go. Bon appétit!"

[Enjoy your meal!]

Lucien stood back up. Mundy's eyes followed him as he took the coffee mugs and put them on the table. He came back to the counter, behind the sink and rolled his sleeves up. He got busy with the dishes and started whistling to himself. Soon the whistles transformed into a song.

"Night and day,

You are the one!

Only you 'neath the moon

Or under the sun!

Whether near to me or far,

No matter, darling where you are

I think of you

Night and day!"

Lucien whistled some more while Mundy's eyes were feasting on this ridiculously simple show. His fiancé was happy. There he was in the kitchen, washing the dishes and singing. Mundy sighed silently. Lucien would describe himself as a man doing the dishes waiting for his fiancé to join him for breakfast. But Mundy...? Mundy would describe him as a white angel, flapping his wings gracefully and singing in the morning sun. He was trying to resist the urge to go and hold his lover in his arms.

Lucien put the last plate on the drying rack. The clinging sound broke Mundy's day dreaming. He watched, as his fiancé went to sit in front of his coffee mug. The Frenchman started sipping his coffee. Mundy took a first step in the kitchen. Then a second one. He looked down, the kitten had stopped eating and came to him.

_Bugger! He can feel me!_

The cat brushed himself on Mundy's right ankle.

_Please go to Lucien, don't give me away!_

The kitten raised his head and look at Mundy's eyes, as if he could see him. The Australian first tensed.

_No, he can hear my heartbeat…_

He relaxed. The kitten trotted away to Lucien. He mewled a couple times. The Frenchman first ignored him but soon the purring and the mewling were too frequent to simply ignore.

"Que veux-tu mon petit?"

[What do you want, young boy?]

The kitten stood on his back legs and tried to climb on Lucien.

"Oh, je vois. Viens…"

[Oh, I see. Come here…]

Lucien bent down and took the kitten in his hand. He put him on his lap. Micky curled in a ball and lied there. The Frenchman was massaging his head and the kitten closed his eyes slowly.

"Tel chaton, tel homme!"

[Like kitten, like man!]

Lucien was thinking back when he had broken into the zoo to spend the night with Mundy to watch the eggs hatch. That night he had given him a head massage and the Australian fell asleep in his hand similarly.

"Oh…"

The gown on Lucien's right shoulder fell. The Frenchman took it delicately and threw it back on his shoulder. Micky was purring softly.

_Again?_

The cloth had slid away again. Lucien frowned. Of course he didn't know that it was Mundy who was teasing him. The Frenchman gasped. He wanted to put his gown correctly again but he felt a delicate touch on his naked shoulder. He stopped stroking the cat and held his breath for a second. Was it really someone's touch or was he craving Mundy that much?!

He felt shivers as the touch migrated from his shoulder to his collarbone and soon, his chest.

"Oh…"

He felt something else, in his neck, something warm, something slim and… wet?

Lucien bent his head on the side to expose more of his neck to a sensation he now recognised. He did not care if he was dreaming or not, he loved the feeling of Mundy's tongue on his neck, may it be real or imaginary. He closed his eyes and his mouth opened slightly. He let a soft moan escape. Micky the kitten felt it was not a show for children and leaping out of Lucien's lap, he went to his basket. Lucien leant back on his chair. His gown fell on his left shoulder as well. He breathed a bit louder and jerked his head back. He opened his eyes to check if it was a dream or if Mundy was really there.

No one.

But he could swear he felt everything. The caresses on his arms, on his chest, the tongue travelling his skin, the soft breathing in his neck as well…! He wanted to take a second look but…

"Mon Dieu!"

The chair was now moving back, away from the table. Lucien looked around him.

"Je rêve?!"

[I must be dreaming?!]

And the he felt it. Something on his lap. Too heavy to be the kitten… Mundy switched the invisibility watch off and out of a cloud of smoke he appeared, sitting on his lover's lap.

"So, who's the kitten now?"

He said, smirking. Lucien shook his head, smiling. He raised his hands, as if he was a burglar being caught red-handed.

"I must admit you managed to trick me."

"HA! So, how does it feel to be at the other end, eh?"

Lucien put his hands on his lover's sides and raised an eyebrow.

"It certainly felt amazing, like a dream. Pray do that more often mon amour."

"I didn't mean… Uh! I meant how does it feel to be the one who is surprised!"

Lucien chuckled. He pulled his lover closer to him. Mundy got pulled and felt Lucien's lips next to his ear.

"It felt exciting, in every meaning of the word."

The Australian blushed.

"Oh, well, I… Uh… In that case… Uhm…"

"But…!"

Mundy opened wide eyes.

"You are still mon chaton."

"Whot?! That's unfair! You said it yourself! I managed to surprise you!"

Lucien raised his index finger.

"Being a panther requires more than that. You have to be very silent, furtive, and you have to be the predator, not the prey."

"Well, in that case…"

Mundy left Lucien's lap. The Frenchman looked at his lover, surprised but he got off the chair and followed him, as if he was under a spell. Mundy went to the living room, walked around the sofa and then came back to the kitchen and sat on the chair Lucien was on a moment ago.

"What?! What are you doing?!"

Mundy took Lucien by the hands and pulled him so that this time the Frenchman was on his lap, facing the Australian, one leg on each side of him.

"Why did you just walk around and come back here mon amour?"

Mundy raised his head and Lucien saw a very confident and devious smile.

"Quoi?"

[What?]

"To answer you…"

Mundy raised his index finger.

"Today I proved I can be very silent and furtive. C'mon, even you didn't see me or hear me coming!"

Lucien nodded and Mundy raised his middle finger.

"And you forget one thing, Mister Lu'. If you're a panther and a predator…"

Mundy raised his eyes off his fingers to look his lover in the eye and whispered.

"I am a hunter."

Lucien felt buzzes in his gut. Mundy bent forward and put his lips next to his lover's ear.

"And I never miss my game."

He left a kiss right below Lucien's ear. It sent a lightning bolt through the Frenchman's body. As he reflex, he grabbed the Australian's chest and moaned slightly, closing his eyes. Mundy laughed from his throat, and Lucien felt the vibrations of his low voice resonating in his lover's ribcage and through his own hands.

"If I had nothing to do today, I would have showed you how the panther can outsmart the hunter."

He said, slowly opening his eyes. As he did so, Mundy saw the Frenchman's pupils shrink slowly.

"Oh, you have stuff to do?"

Lucien got off his lover's lap and sat at the table to enjoy his coffee. Mundy brought the chair back closer to the table and took a toast.

"Yes, and so do you. Come in the alley in about uhm…"

Lucien was eating his breakfast at the speed of light. He raised his head and looked at the clock.

"... Say 2 hours? Oui, 2 hours should be fine."

He jumped out of his chair and ran to the bedroom.

"Oi! Where are you going?!"

Lucien emerged, a pair of trousers and a vest on his shoulder, buttoning his white shirt.

"I don't have time to explain!"

He finished and jumped in his beige linen trousers. The Frenchman zipped his trousers and put on his beige vest. He headed for the front door and took a hat from the coathanger.

"Why? What's so urgent?!"

"You are! You're coming in 2 hours!"

He jumped out of the flat and slammed the door shut, leaving his fiancé with a million questions in his head.

"Well, looks like I have 2 hours to kill…"

Mundy looked around him. The flat was very silent, except for…

"Oh, g'day mate!"

Micky was purring and circling around Mundy's legs. The Australian bent down and took the kitten in his hand.

"You know what Lu' is up to?"

He put him on his lap and took a sip of coffee. The baby cat mewled back.

"Oh, he did tell you?"

Micky curled into a ball and laid there, only moving his short tail from time to time.

"Ah, I might be a kitten but I don't speak your language…"

Mundy continued having his breakfast, still conversing with the cat. He spread the newspaper on the table and read it aloud, commenting it. The kitten also commented from time to time. Mundy soon finished his breakfast. He put the kitten back on the ground. He protested, mewling with all his strength.

"I can't keep you on my lap, mate, I gotta go get dressed and all…! Your other dad is waiting for me!"

Micky leapt to Mundy's leg and tried to climb it but his claws were too soft and weak and he kept on sliding down the tall man's leg.

"Roight, roight…"

Mundy bent down and took the kitten. He put him on his shoulder and raised his index finger.

"I'm warning ya! If you get your claws and teeth all over my neck you're gonna face trouble!"

He walked through the corridor to the bedroom.

"And it won't be from me, but from Lu'!"

He took a pair of trousers and a round-necked t-shirt. He put the trousers on and stood in front of the mirror. He looked at Micky while zipping his trousers.

"See all this?"

He pointed at his face, neck and chest.

"This is all Lu's territory for biting and… Well…"

The kitten looked at him with his big, round, blue eyes.

"... Adult's business! Don't look at me like that!"

Micky mewled.

"Nah, I won't say more. Now, I can't wear my t-shirt, wait, there you go, on the bed. Stop mewling like that, I won't be a minute…! There you go! I just put you there so that I can put it on… Now, teeth, gotta brush them."

"Meow."

"Yeah, your father likes my teeth white and shiny."

"Meow?"

"Because! Well… That's how they should be! No one wants to have dirty teeth."

"Meow."

"Roight."

Mundy put some toothpaste on his toothbrush and started brushing his teeth.

"Meow?"

"Wha'?"

"Meeeow."

"I can't shpeak to ya, I'm brushin'-"

"Meow!"

"Be pashient!"

"Meow!"

Mundy rolled his eyes up. He spat in the sink and washed his mouth.

"Good Lord, can't you wait a minute?"

Micky slowly took a couple steps towards Mundy's neck and purred while brushing his head against him.

"Ah, all this for that… You're exactly like him. You make a fuss and in the end, it's just cause you need a big hug."

Mundy wiped his hands in the towel and turned his head. Micky raised his head and stuck it on Mundy's lips who left a quick kiss.

"Roight, I think we're good to go, what d'you reckon eh?"

"Meow!"

"What?"

"Meeeeow."

"Whot did I forget?"

"Meow."

"Oh, roight, perfume, yes! Thanks…"

He looked at the kitten from the corner of his eye.

"... Micky Junior."

The kitten purred louder.

"Roight, now we're good, let's go. I'll take my time to walk there and we should be on time."

Mundy left the flat, with Micky on his shoulder and his hat on his head. He closed the door behind him and looked at the sky. It was definitely cooler than the previous weeks but the weather was still good. Mundy walked through the streets, his kitten on his shoulder, his hands in his pockets. He felt free, so free. His feet kept walking on autopilot while his mind escaped.

He thought of his life in the Outback, his parents. They loved him and supported him. They accepted Lucien, they actually even accepted to give his hand to him. Now that he thought about it, what a weird and old tradition… He nonetheless found it adorable of Lucien to do it. It must have required quite a lot of courage. But then again, Lucien had threatened to kill Mundy's father because he stood between them… Mundy smiled and then realised how weird it was. He was smiling at the thought of his fiancé threatening to kill his father. Well… No, not exactly, he smiled because it showed how much his fiancé loved him. And that brought warmth to his heart.

"Meow?"

"Uh?"

Micky's meow broke Mundy's train of thought.

"Oh, yeah you're roight, here we arrive, after that turn…"

The Australian arrived in the alley. It was close to midday now and the sun was shining. He took a couple steps in and, as a reflex, looked at Lucien and Jeremy's men on the wall.

"Good Lord…"

Mundy stopped in front of the wall. Countless men were now on it, surrounding the original one. A blond one with a suit, a dark haired one with blue mechanics' overalls, another dark haired one with dark green overalls and a chequered shirt… Mundy stared at the wall for a while, in awe, his mouth wide open as he raised his head to see it all.

_It must be the kids. They all drew their versions of the Man on the wall._

The wall was now covered in men who all looked proud, confident, happy. That wall was radiating something warm and important. Mundy could feel the force it was diffusing.

_Hope._

The positive energy through the rainbow of flashy colours, the white smiles, the tall and proud silhouettes, all the wall slapped Mundy across the face.

"Meow?"

Micky had turned and was facing Mundy's back. The Australian turned.

"Oh, whot's that then?"

The kitten turned on Mundy's shoulder. The Australian was pointing at a big thing covered under a big black cloth.

"Meow."

"Shh. Listen…"

Mundy bent forward a bit. He could hear a faint noise.

_Mmh, it's coming from that thing._

He took a couple silent and slow steps forward. The noise grew a bit louder but still sounded muffled.

"Guess I have to take that cloth away."

Mundy put his hand on the big black plastic tarpaulin and grasped it firmly.

"Roight, Junior, let's have a look."

He swung his arm powerfully and the cloth elegantly flew with a swoosh.

"Bloody hell…"

He dropped the cloth off his hand and took a step back. While doing so, his legs gave away and he fell down. Micky jumped to the ground. He sat on his bottom and looked up.

_Blimey… How did my van end up there?_

The noise interrupted Mundy's thoughts.

_It's a song, someone's singing… But is it really my van?_

He was facing it and yes, the license plate was definitely his. Micky leapt on him and climbed on his shoulder again. Mundy pushed himself to stand up again and went around it.

"Crickey!"

A desert landscape with a few boulders and cacti was painted all across the left side. Mundy put a hand on the van and touched the paint. He looked at the cacti one by one and his eyes met with a grey strip that was flying from left to right.

_Wait, I recognise this, it's a road and those cacti…_

He followed the grey asphalt and turned his head to his right and right under the window, there was a house and two silhouettes. One was taller than the other but both were the size of Mundy's hand. The tall one was wearing a red checkered shirt and dark blue overalls. The Australian brushed the tip of his fingers on it.

_Dad._

The other one was shorter and a bit more plump. She was wearing a pink dress.

_Mum._

He smiled as his index traced the smile on his mother's face. He took a step back and slid his hand along the van's wall as he turned around to the other side.

"Woah…"

"Meow!"

On the right side, was painted a very different scene. A big black panther was lying down. It had very light, blue eyes with long black eyelashes. Next to it was another majestic black panther but its eyes were darker blue and more round.

Mundy put a hand on his hat.

"Blimey… That's us. That-that's Lu' and me... They look gorgeous. Their fur looks almost too real, it shines beautifully…"

The van's backdoor opened.

" _I can dim the lights and sing you songs_

_Full of sad things,"_

Mundy's body tensed up, his breath stopped and he felt shivers everywhere.

_That's the song he sang to me when we first met..._

" _I can do the tango just for two_

_I can serenade and gently play_

_On your heartstrings,_

_Be a valentino just for you!"_

Lucien jumped out of the van.

"So, what do you think?"

He leant his shoulder on the van and smiled proudly from under his sunglasses.

"Y-you did that?"

Lucien nodded.

"How?"

"Does it matter?"

"Did you also paint everything?"

"Only this side, with the panthers. The other one, Jérémy and the kids did it."

Mundy looked at his van again. But Lucien took his hand and pulled him to the ladder.

"Up you go, I did something else on the roof."

Mundy was dumbfounded. He obeyed and climbed up. Lucien smiled and followed him. The Australian looked around.

"What did you do?"

Lucien pointed at the floor which was the van's roof under his feet. Mundy eyes travelled down.

"Crickey!"

He took a few steps away from the middle of it and stood at the edge. Lucien did the same to let him see the whole painting. He saw Mundy remove his hat from his head and kneel down.

"My God! You did this?!"

Lucien crouched.

"Oui."

Mundy opened wide eyes as he looked at it again and again, not believing his eyes. It was them. Lucien and him, back to back. Lucien was resting his head on Mundy's upper back, under his neck, looking up and smiling, a cigarette between his lips and his eyes closed. Mundy was also smiling and closing his eyes. He looked happy, satisfied, content even. He was crossing his arms proudly.

The real Mundy put his hands on the painting. He put them first on Lucien's face and stroked it, staring intensely and lovingly. He then looked at himself.

"You really did that yourself?"

"Look at the bottom."

Mundy's eyes travelled down and to his right where he saw Lucien's signature and a sentence. He got closer to see it better. He instantly recognised Lucien's handwriting. The cursive and round letters. It looked so soothing to the eye… It read:

"Deux moitiés d'un même amour."

[Two halves of the same love.]

Mundy, his head still low, smiled.

"You like it?"

Lucien asked.

"You're such a sentimental bastard…"

"What?!"

Mundy raised his head and leapt at his fiancé, squeezing him tightly in his arms. Lucien had to fall in his arms!

"Look at what you're doing, Bushman!"

Mundy kissed his head.

"I don't give a damn, you were the one who did all this to my van, you'll have to pay for it!"

"Meow!"

"Oh you don't side with him, chaton!"

"Who're you talking to? Me or him?!"

"The real chaton you…!"

"You what?"

Mundy was lying on his back with Lucien on him, in his arms.

"You _panther_ …"

Mundy gasped and raised his head.

"Did you just say-?"

Lucien turned to be on his stomach and face Mundy.

"Mon amour, you're a panther on one condition."

The Frenchman raised his index finger.

"Yeah?"

He put it on Mundy's nose and the Australian's eyes crossed as they followed the tip of Lucien's finger. He found it adorable. Countless times he did that and countless times Mundy followed his finger like a cat would a laser pen. Lucien crawled slightly so that he got to Mundy's ear. He whispered.

"You're _my_ panther."

He left a quick and chaste kiss under Mundy's ear and watched as it turned red. The Australian turned his head to Lucien. He curled his right arm behind the Frenchman's neck and pulled him closer. He put his lips on Lucien's and pressed gently.

"O'course I am."

Lucien sat up and smiled.

"Also, we should not delay much longer."

"Whot? Wait, why?"

Mundy sat up too.

"Les enfants! C'est bon!"

[Kids! That's it!]

Maman France and her kids emerged, accompanied with Jérémy and Mélanie, hand in hand. Lucien got off the van's roof and Mundy followed him.

"I hope you like it pal!"

"Wait, you all knew about this?!"

"Yeah, well, Pa' told us about his idea to bring the van here but he wanted the van to erm… How did you say that again?"

"Jérémy, I had said 'I want the van to carry a bit of our story."

"Micky, you can be angry but only at Lulu!"

Said Marie-France.

"He's the one who organised everything!"

"Oui, he asked me to go and buy a lot of spray cans. And then we all helped Jérémy to paint the side with your parents. Of course Lulu had to describe them to us. Hopefully you did recognise them!"

George added.

"T'es content Tonton Mick?"

[Are you happy Uncle Mick?]

Mundy crouched down to be at eye level with Tito.

"Oui, très content. Merci beaucoup."

[Yes, very much so. Thanks a lot.]

"Oh!"

Tito noticed the kitten on Mundy's shoulder and stroked it slowly.

"Tu vas me manquer Tonton Mick…"

[I'm going to miss you, Uncle Mick…]

"Pourquoi tu dis ça?"

[Why do you say that?]

"Parce que Tonton Lulu a dit que vous partiez ce soir…"

[Because Uncle Lulu said you'd leave tonight.]

Mundy raised his head to Lucien who was smiling.

"Originally your parents did send you on a world tour right?"

Mundy took Tito in his arms and stood back up.

"Yeah, so?"

"Your stop in Paris lasted long enough. You wanted to go to Scotland next?"

Mundy opened wide eyes as he started to realise what Lucien was heading to.

"So maybe we can go there together?"

The Frenchman extended his hand. Mundy looked at it and then back up, at Lucien's eyes and his thin lips, his smile. Still holding Tito in one arm, he took Lucien's hand and pulled on it and quickly wrapped his arm around the Frenchman's head to kiss him.

"Oh! Regarde Maman! Je le savais! Oncle Lulu et Oncle Mick s'aiment beaucoup!"

[Oh! Look Maman! I knew it! Uncle Lulu and Uncle Mick love each other very much!]

The couple broke the kiss.

"Yes they do Tito. And it is beautiful! But kids, if you wanna go driving, you'd better hurry before it gets all dark. And Lulu, you call me when you get to the hotel, ok? Don't forget!"

Mundy put Tito back on the ground.

"Wait, you're all serious?"

"Of course!"

"Have a nice and safe trip guys!"

"Merci! And kids, you behave! Jérémy, you come from time to time and give a hand!"

"Yeah, you already said! Now go!"

"But wait, Lu', I don't have anything in my van, no clothes, no nothing!"

"Yes you do, I packed our stuff way in advance for this. Now, I guess you want to drive, mh?"

"Yeah."

"Right, have a nice trip kids! And you all, follow me, they need a bit of time alone."

The kids, including Jérémy and Mélanie, started going away.

"Attends!"

[Wait!]

Tito ran on his short legs and stopped between Lucien and Mundy. Both men crouched down.

"Oui?"

Tito got closer to Lucien and left a kiss on his cheek. He then did the same to Mundy.

"Promettez-moi de revenir bientôt. Je vais être triste sans vous."

[Promise me to come back soon. I'm going to be sad all alone here!]

"Tito, je peux te dire un secret?"

[Tito, can I tell you a secret?]

The young boy opened wide round eyes and nodded.

"Tu sais que je suis le père de Jérémy?"

[You know I am Jérémy's father, right?]

Tito nodded.

"J'ai peur qu'il se sente bien seul lui aussi quand je ne serais pas là. Promets-moi de prendre soin de lui et je te promets qu'on reviendra aussi vite que possible. Promis?"

[I'm afraid that he will feel all alone too when I am away. Promise me to take care of him and I promise that we will be back as soon as possible. Do you promise?]

Lucien extended his hand. Tito nodded and shook it but the young boy could not help but to rush in Lucien's arm and hug him for a long time.

"Il en a de la chance, Jérémy."

[He's very lucky, Jérémy.]

Lucien smiled and returned the hug. The young boy then parted and ran back towards Marie-France. Soon the alley was empty again.

"So, what do you say? Shall we?"

Lucien extended his hand with the keys to the van inside. Mundy took it.

"Oui, mon amour. Let's go."

They both embarked in the van, Mundy as the driver. Lucien next to him. The Frenchman put his hand on Mundy's thigh and the Australian turned his head to look at him.

"Thanks."

"For what?"

"For everything but especially one thing."

Mundy's pupils went round and big, like a cat in the dark.

"You got rid of it for me and I thought I never would."

"What?"

"The solitude."

**-** _**\- Author's tears --** _

This is it guys, this is the end. After 5 months in development, hopefully it will have been worth the read!

This is it for Solitude! Please do leave a comment or anything if you liked it :)

I would like to thank the Discord crew: the guys from the fun pit, Crows, Cheesepie, Dragonll, Christine, Layka, purpleglori, Gearlic (omg, I still can't believe they're reading my stuff), Cat, Fork God, MoonTearChild but also MetaWolfie and Gret :)

I will then write more of Sniper/Spy. So please, if you're interested (and of age), join us here:

(usual link and in the end): /BPbVqct


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